Institutional dynamics in transformative wetland governance: A social network approach from Iran

Wetlands have faced a complex set of environmental, institutional, and governance challenges, leading to biodiversity loss and intensified conflicts among resource users and decision-making bodies. This paper identifies institutional weaknesses in Iranian wetland governance using a multi-level institutional analysis of the Bakhtegan wetland, an internationally designated Ramsar Site in Iran. The research employed a mixed-method approach, integrating the thematic analysis of formal institutions with the quantitative social network analysis of the institution-stakeholders matrix (the governance network). The results identified five institutional categories, consisting of strategic, intermediary, executive, technical, and social. Moreover, the wetland's governance structure is semi-centralized and characterized by a significant power imbalance. National-level governmental bodies, e.g., Environment Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, dominate the network core, relegating NGOs, local organizations, and academic institutions to the periphery. This imbalance has resulted in institutional vulnerability, incoherent policies, weak implementation capacity, and a widening gap between state institutions and local communities. The comparative analysis between transformative governance attributes (adaptive, participatory, integrated, pluralistic, and inclusive) and institutional categories highlights the absence of institutional learning, effective cross-sectoral linkages, participation, and knowledge-based capacities. The study emphasizes the necessity of reconfiguring the wetland governance through strengthening intermediary institutions, creating science-based consultative mechanisms, utilizing digital technologies, and enhancing grassroots participation. Such reforms contribute to governance models aligned with climate justice and institutional sustainability.