Implementing the integrated water resources management approach in a volcanic river basin: a case study of Opak Sub-Basin, Indonesia

The ways in which integrated water resources management (IWRM) is implemented in a volcanic river basin (the Opak Sub-Basin) on the flanks of Mt Merapi volcano in Indonesia is examined. Data deriving from semi-ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews are analysed through a multilevel governance lens that considers three pillars of management – conservation, utilization and hazard control – and three levels of governance – national, regional and municipal. The research shows that the regional level is the priority playing field; that the degree of integration differs between levels of government; and that actors called ‘whisperers’ support higher integration levels, have the greatest ability to form bridges between communities and government.