Investing in social learning processes to support science-engaged governance of strategic water source areas

To address water challenges, several strategic water source areas (SWSAs) have been defined as important for water security in South Africa.The governance of SWSAs is faced with a series of interconnected tensions.The Living Catchments Project was implemented in four SWSAs, and provides an example of how social processes and learning projects can be funded, designed and implemented at different levels.At all of these levels, conceptualisation and evaluation of social learning processes are important for capturing the lessons learnt and advocating investment in community-engaged governance of SWSAs.Ongoing research is required for observing, examining and improving social learning processes in the governance of SWSAs.