Sustainable development is the modern rhetoric to guide environmental or natural resources management. There are many ways to do this and one concern the wider utilization of economic instruments, such as taxes or levies. Although such levies are becoming common in Australia and worldwide, the role of the taxes or levies is still limited. In many cases, these taxes/levies -although environmentally related- have a fiscal rather than a purely environmental motive, for example, the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Levy in South Australia. In South Australia, under the NRM Act 2004, all property owners are required to pay the NRM levy. Local governments collect the levy and distribute it to the relevant NRM board. The NRM boards have selected to calculate the levy on the basis of property value or simply applied a flat rate. The percentage of property value or the amount of the flat rate can vary amongst local government areas. How a tax or levy is designed should be determined by its ultimate purpose. Taxes or levies for fiscal and/or redistributive reasons should be designed in a way securing stable inflow of revenues, such as, levying on the values of property. However, this approach is often in sharp contrast with the goal of environmental taxes or levies which aim to change resource consumption behaviour. This study evaluates the NRM levy policy in South Australia using one NRM region and focussing on the urban community. The justification of this research is that few analyses of the effectiveness of environmental taxes or levies have ever been carried out, although the implementation of these measures has increased significantly during the last decades. There are fewer studies analysing the impacts of the tax or levy base method. This is the first study on this NRM levy policy from the perspective of the urban community who actually pay it. This study employed the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein 1980) to examine the relationships between community attitudes to the levy policy and water consumption behaviour. Data was collected through a web-based survey with 770 respondents who answered 59 questions. The key findings show that governments are perceived to have the main responsibility for water resources management by respondents. However, there is huge information void towards the NRM levy policy. Community has few complaints about the levy level but strongly prefers to have a levy calculated on the volume of water consumed. Respondents also indicated that they would use less water if the levy were calculated on the volume of water consumed. The study makes contributions to relevant theory and policy analysis. Theoretically, the results show that the theory of reasoned action has limited strength in explaining the present research context. Practically, the study provides recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in South Australia, other Australian States, and internationally. The clear implications of the results suggest that if a tax or levy aims to change water consumption behaviour then it should be based on the volume of water consumed not on property value.

Sustainable development is the modern rhetoric to guide environmental or natural resources management. There are many ways to do this and one concern the wider utilization of economic instruments, such as taxes or levies. Although such levies are becoming common in Australia and worldwide, the role of the taxes or levies is still limited. In many cases, these taxes/levies -although environmentally related- have a fiscal rather than a purely environmental motive, for example, the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Levy in South Australia. In South Australia, under the NRM Act 2004, all property owners are required to pay the NRM levy. Local governments collect the levy and distribute it to the relevant NRM board. The NRM boards have selected to calculate the levy on the basis of property value or simply applied a flat rate. The percentage of property value or the amount of the flat rate can vary amongst local government areas. How a tax or levy is designed should be determined by its ultimate purpose. Taxes or levies for fiscal and/or redistributive reasons should be designed in a way securing stable inflow of revenues, such as, levying on the values of property. However, this approach is often in sharp contrast with the goal of environmental taxes or levies which aim to change resource consumption behaviour. This study evaluates the NRM levy policy in South Australia using one NRM region and focussing on the urban community. The justification of this research is that few analyses of the effectiveness of environmental taxes or levies have ever been carried out, although the implementation of these measures has increased significantly during the last decades. There are fewer studies analysing the impacts of the tax or levy base method. This is the first study on this NRM levy policy from the perspective of the urban community who actually pay it. This study employed the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein 1980) to examine the relationships between community attitudes to the levy policy and water consumption behaviour. Data was collected through a web-based survey with 770 respondents who answered 59 questions. The key findings show that governments are perceived to have the main responsibility for water resources management by respondents. However, there is huge information void towards the NRM levy policy. Community has few complaints about the levy level but strongly prefers to have a levy calculated on the volume of water consumed. Respondents also indicated that they would use less water if the levy were calculated on the volume of water consumed. The study makes contributions to relevant theory and policy analysis. Theoretically, the results show that the theory of reasoned action has limited strength in explaining the present research context. Practically, the study provides recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in South Australia, other Australian States, and internationally. The clear implications of the results suggest that if a tax or levy aims to change water consumption behaviour then it should be based on the volume of water consumed not on property value.

As California contends with climate change and more extreme cycles of drought and deluge, water management agencies and conservation groups are looking towards solutions to the decreasing reliability of imported water supplies. Stormwater has historically been perceived as a threat to development but when captured properly, it presents a resource that can augment local water supplies. Solutions to water supply issues in California have traditionally employed technical and centrally controlled methods for importing water, but there is a growing understanding that parcel-level capture through vegetated swales presents an opportunity for reducing the impact that development has on California’s hydrology. Vegetated swales mimic nature’s effectiveness in reducing runoff speeds, removing pollutants and increasing groundwater supplies. No less a piece of California’s water infrastructure than canals and dams, these swales bring water infrastructure into the context of the California landscape. My report for the Chino Basin Water Conservation District analyzes the feasibility of installing vegetated swales in the Chino Basin region.

The thesis covers the investigation of the storm water runoff and artificial recharge components of the Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme in the Southwestern Cape. The objective of the study was to obtain an in-depth knowledge of the process of artificial recharge of urban storm water runoff, in order to identify the most efficient recharge management strategy for the Atlantis aquifer. To achieve the objective it was necessary to first study the existing knowledge on urban storm water hydrology and artificial recharge by spreading, and to create a conceptual model of what might be expected. The study area was then investigated to examine how closely the actual situation was reflected by the conceptual model, enabling recommendations to be made for the sound management of the system. The stormwater runoff component was found to differ from most urban hydrological studies as a result of its large baseflow component. The sandy nature of the catchment, small percentage area of effective impervious surface, and high groundwater table resulted in the baseflow constituting more than 40% of the total storm water runoff and accounting for over 60% of the pollution load. The "first flush" effect established as a major source of pollution in other studies, was found to be of minor significance in this study area. The overall stormwater quality (excluding the noxious industrial baseflow) was found acceptable for artificial recharge within the study area, although the baseflow from the industrial sub-catchments showed the potential for being a major source of pollution in the future. The treated wastewater used for artificial recharge prior to 1987 was found to be unacceptable for recharge purposes. The treated industrial effluent should under no circumstances be recharged up-gradient of the Witzand well field. The treated domestic effluent although of a poorer quality than the resident Witzand well field groundwater could be recharged in order to boost recharge volumes and form a buffer against further intrusion by the poor quality groundwater from the Brakkefontein area. This would however only be acceptable if strict water quality control is maintained and recharge does not take place west of the present basin. The recharge basin was found to be well situated with respect to influencing the Witzand wellfield and maintaining a groundwater buffer against poor quality groundwater flow from the northeast towards the central area of the wellfield. Unfortunately the surrounding low-lying topography and sandy retaining walls have resulted in return flow and raised groundwater-levels. The raised groundwater mound does not comply with the conceptual model and together with the sandy nature of the unsaturated zone resulted in less effective purification during infiltration. The practice of letting large portions of the basin floor dry-out during summer was shown to be beneficial and the periodic cleaning of the deeper portions of the basin essential. The artificially recharged water was found to have influenced the upper portion of the aquifer well beyond the West Coast Road. The study of groundwater quality being a good method for tracing artificially recharged water. The groundwater quality has improved as a result of artificial recharge since the removal of treated wastewater from the recharge basin. The groundwater was (ii) found to be very responsive to the slightest changes in recharge basin water quality or/and quantity. Management of the recharge basin therefore had to be very much of a compromise between qualitative and quantitative approaches. The present approach of recharging all the stormwater runoff throughout the year providing the most efficient compromise under the present conditions. The study revealed that the most efficient recharge management strategy would be the recharge of treated domestic sewage effluent in the present recharge basin and all residential storm water runoff plus industrial "storm flow" stormwater runoff in a new recharge basin located northwest of the present basin. Strict water quality control must be maintained on the water discharged into the basins and an annual wet/dry cycle implemented within the basins to boost infiltration. The entire system should continue being monitored to safe guard the groundwater resource from pollution and over exploitation.

Os recursos hídricos constituem um dos elementos mais acentuados na discussão das questões ambientais colocando-se como um dos principais desafios a serem encarados pela humanidade no século XXI. Esta pesquisa verifica o atual momento de seca vivido no Nordeste remetendo a uma conscientização do uso devido dos recursos hídricos propondo a existência de uma gestão dos recursos hídricos ser de fundamental importância na preservação dos mesmos. Apresenta como objetivo geral analisar a gestão dos recursos hídricos no município de Jaicós no Estado do Piauí visando avaliar os procedimentos que estão sendo tomados para a conservação, distribuição e organização destes recursos disponíveis, fornecidos pelo poder público através de preceitos éticos. Expõem sobre a gestão dos recursos hídricos no município de Jaicós no Estado do Piauí discorrendo sobre os efeitos que a má gestão dos poderes públicos acomete no município quanto à questão da gestão. Justifica-se a necessidade de estudos que avaliem a disponibilidade e a demanda hídrica dentro de uma perspectiva de sustentabilidade na utilização deste recurso, valendo-se do estímulo decorrente da criação de um novo arcabouço legal que dá suporte à gestão dos recursos hídricos pautados nos preceitos éticos. Menciona ao concluir a pesquisa que o que mais falta às nossas cidades, inclusive Jaicós, não é água, mas sim determinado padrão cultural que ajunte ética e melhore a eficiência do desempenho político dos governos, da sociedade organizada e das ações públicas e privadas, responsáveis que são por agenciar o desenvolvimento econômico em geral e a proteção da água doce, em particular. / Water resources constitute one of the most accentuated elements in the discussion of environmental issues being placed as one of the main challenges to be faced by humanity in the 21st century. This research looks at the current moment of drought that is being experienced in the Northeast remitting to an awareness raising about the proper use of water resources and to a proposal that the existence of a management of the water resources is of fundamental importance to the preservation of these. It presents as a general goal the analysis of the management of water resources in the municipality of Jaicós in the state of Piauí aiming to evaluate the procedures which are being implemented for the conservation, distribution and organization of the available resources, furnished by the public power through ethical precepts. It presents the management of the water resources in the municipality of Jaicós in the state of Piauí discoursing about the effects which a bad management of the public powers have on the municipality related to the issue of management. The need for studies which evaluate the water availability and demands within a perspective of sustainability in the use of this resource is justified making use of the stimulus resulting from the creation of a new legal framework which supports the management of water resources based on ethical principles. The research mentions at the end that what is lacking in most of our cities, including in Jaicós, is not water but a certain cultural pattern which adds in ethics and improves the efficiency of the political work of the governments, of organized society and of public and private actions, since they are responsible for managing the economic development in general and the protection of potable water in particular.

Reliable access to safe drinking water is one necessity for humans to live without concern for major health risks. The overall goal of this research is to improve the public health, through improved drinking water, for communities in the Rakai District in Uganda, directly, and other communities in the world, indirectly, via dissemination of knowledge. This study specifically assessed the knowledge of drinking water quality in regards to public health, their sanitation measures, and water treatment methods for users of Brick by Brick rainwater harvesting tanks in the Rakai District (N = 28) by using a knowledge, attitudes, and practice survey and a sanitary inspection; tested the water quality of the Brick by Brick rainwater harvesting tanks (N = 33) in the Rakai District for physical, chemical, and microbial parameters; and piloted a sustainable treatment technology called the chulli system that uses excess heat from a cookstove to treat water. Twenty of the participants identified contaminated water as a cause of diarrheal disease (N = 28). Participants perceived boiling (1), chlorine (2), and filtering (3) as the best three methods of treating water. The average score for the sanitary inspection was 2.27±2.31, which falls between the low and medium expected risk score categories. Fourteen of the thirty-three samples showed detectable levels of colony forming units for coliforms, and two of the thirty-three samples showed detectable levels of colony forming units for E. coli. A demonstration chulli system was constructed for St. Andrew’s Primary School in Rakai District and operated successfully. The research supports that the chulli system along with proper sanitation measures identified in the sanitary inspections can be a sustainable option for users of Brick by Brick rainwater harvesting tanks in the Rakai District.

O gerenciamento da água em bacias hidrográficas implica criar as condições para congregar os diversos pontos de vista dos atores sociais envolvidos, de modo a possibilitar a tomada de decisão consensual. Os interesses dos atores que disputam esse recurso precisam ser compartilhados e alinhados com o equacionamento dos problemas no presente e com a criação de uma visão de futuro que respeite as condições de sustentabilidade para as próximas gerações. Portanto, a gestão precisa promover aprendizagem de natureza social. Este estudo procurou mostrar como ocorre a aprendizagem social em um comitê de gerenciamento de bacia hidrográfica e também como a Teoria da Emergência auxilia na compreensão do comportamento coletivo dos agentes nesse espaço de negociação. A construção do referencial teórico com base nas teorias da aprendizagem social e da emergência possibilitou verificar que o empreendedorismo socioambiental apresenta elementos subjacentes a essas duas correntes conceituais. Diante disso, essa temática foi incorporada ao estudo. A estratégia metodológica utilizada foi o estudo de caso em profundidade no sentido proposto por Yin (2005). A unidade de análise foi o Comitê de Gerenciamento da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Santa Maria, RS, Brasil. Quanto à finalidade, a pesquisa foi classificada como descritiva. Foram utilizados dados primários e secundários e o processo de análise contemplou abordagens quantitativas e qualitativas. A principal fonte de evidências foi um levantamento estruturado realizado com os integrantes do Comitê. O estudo utilizou outras fontes como documentos, entrevistas e observações. A aprendizagem social foi observada nos níveis individual, de grupo e organizacional. Os resultados mostraram que esse é um fenômeno multidimensional que exige o desenvolvimento do conhecimento e também das habilidades relacionais dos agentes. A análise das características do Comitê à luz da Teoria da Emergência evidenciou as propriedades subjacentes dessa teoria respeitando os preceitos dos autores consultados e ressaltando diversas emergências decorrentes de sua criação. A criação do Comitê parece tratar-se de uma inovação social transformadora que contribuiu para demover a estrutura atomizada dos agentes envolvidos e que pode mudar os rumos dos problemas socioeconômicos e ambientais na região, em grande medida pelas relações e interações que possibilitou entre esses mesmos agentes. A análise do comportamento empreendedor dos integrantes mostrou que eles desenvolveram competência social baseada principalmente em interdependência e "suscetibilidade mútua", comprometimento, redes e relacionamento, liderança e adaptabilidade social. As mudanças sofridas por eles, assim como as principais mudanças atribuídas ao Comitê, evidenciaram a ampliação do capital social dos indivíduos e da organização e também a valorização do coletivo acima dos interesses individuais. / Watershed basin management involves creating the right conditions to bring together a variety of points of view from involved social actors, in such a way as to make consensual decision making possible. The interests of actors competing for this resource need to be shared and aligned with the establishment of present-day problems and by creating a vision for the future that respects sustainable conditions of sustainability for generations to come. Therefore, management needs to promote learning of a social nature. This study has sought to demonstrate how social learning takes place in a watershed basin management committee, as well as how Emergence Theory helps one to comprehend the collective behavior of agents in this negotiation space. The construction of a theoretical foundation based on social learning and emergence theories made it possible to verify that socioenvironmental entrepreneurship presents elements which underlie these two conceptual currents. In the face of this, this theme was incorporated into the study. An in-depth case study, in the sense proposed by Yin (2005) was chosen as the methodological strategy. The unit chosen for analysis was the Santa Maria River Watershed Basin Management Committee, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. As for the finality, the research was classified as descriptive. Primary and secondary data was used, and the analytical process contemplated quantitative and qualitative approaches. The main source of evidence was a structured survey carried out with the members of the Committee. The study also used other sources, such as documents, interviews and observations. Social learning was observed at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The results demonstrated that this is a multidimensional phenomenon that demands the development of knowledge, as well as interpersonal skills on the part of the agents. The analysis of the Committee's characteristics under the light of the Emergence Theory provided evidence of the underlying properties of this theory, respecting the precepts of the consulted authors and emphasizing a variety of emergences resulting from its creation. The creation of the Committee appears to be a transformative social innovation that contributed to changing the atomized structure of involved agents and which can change the course of regional socio-economic and environmental problems, in great measure through the relations and interactions it made possible between said agents. Analysis of members' entrepreneurial behavior demonstrated that they developed social abilities based mainly on interdependence and "mutual susceptibility", commitment, networks and relationships, leadership and social adaptability. The changes they experienced, as well as the main changes attributed to the Committee, provided evidence of the enlargement of the social capital of individuals and the organization as well as increased value placed on the collective, above individual interests.

xiii, 236 p. : ill. (some col.) / Over the past two decades, contemporary state-level watershed management burgeoned in the Pacific Northwest. This research offers a comparative analysis of contemporary state-level watershed management frameworks in the Pacific Northwest. The four case study areas consist of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. This study begins with a historical analysis of the greater watershed movement in natural resource management. Next, document analysis and key informant interviews are utilized to detail the watershed management framework of each state. Finally, this study explores a comparative analysis of each state framework. Results indicate that while the case study areas share many characteristics endemic to the bioregion, the watershed management framework of each state differs substantially. Key informant interviews indicate that these differences often reflect the unique sociopolitical climate of each state. Results additionally indicate the vital importance of stable state-derived funding for the establishment and resilience of watershed management organizations. / Committee in charge: Dr. Michael Hibbard, Chairperson; Dr. Richard Margerum, Member; Dr. Max Nielsen-Pincus, Member

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Phosphorus (P) plays an important role in eutrophication of aquatic systems and the streams and pond bed sediments are an important environmental compartment in this process. The bed sediment can act as a sink or source of P to the overlying water depending on their physicochemical and biological characteristics. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the P dynamics in bottom sediment of ponds and streams and to determine their potential to adsorb or release P due to human activities in two agricultural watersheds. The watersheds, with an area of 1,426 km2 (PBH140) and 0.783 km2 (PBH80), are located in a landscape in the city of Júlio de Castilhos, State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The water and bed sediment samples were collected from ponds and streams in the two watersheds. The characteristics evaluated includes, particle size distribution, total organic carbon and organic and inorganic P fractions P. Through P adsorption-desorption parameters i. e., potentially bioavailable particulate P (Pppb), particulate bioavailable P (Ppb), P desorption rate (λ), equilibrium P concentration (EPC0) and maximum P sorption (CMAP) was determined by the P adsorption-desorption curves. The results indicated that in the particle size, the sand fraction dominated in the stream samples while the pond showed a more fine sediment (silt and clay). Phosphorus fractions ranged depending on the use and management of soil in the vicinity, the presence of point or diffuse pollution sources, contributing to high inorganic P forms in the bed sediments. Furthermore, the fractions of lower P lability were more expressive indicating that low P release to the water column. With an increase in human pressure in the upstream area, there was an increase in bioavailable P forms to aquatic biota, as observed by high concentration of resin extracted bioavailable P. The high Pmax observed in the both type of bed sediments indicates low P saturation of these sediments due to low levels of P in the landscape soils and or low application of fertilizer or manure P. The low phosphorus desorption in distilled water (Q0) and reduced EPC0 give indicate that the these sediments are sink of soluble P and have an important role to maintain water quality in the two monitored watersheds. / O fósforo (P) desempenha um papel importante na eutrofização dos ecossistemas aquáticos e, o sedimento de fundo de córregos e açudes constitui um compartimento ambiental importante nesse processo. O sedimento de fundo tem a capacidade de atuar como fonte ou dreno de P para a coluna de água sobrejacente, dependendo de suas características físico-químicas e biológicas. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a dinâmica do fósforo no sedimento de fundo de açudes e córregos e determinar seu potencial de retenção ou liberação de fósforo solúvel, em função da ação antrópica exercida sobre duas bacias hidrográficas agrícolas. As bacias hidrográficas, com área de 1,426 km2 (PBH140) e 0,783 km2 (PBH80), estão localizadas em um assentamento da reforma agrária no município de Júlio de Castilhos, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Amostras de água e sedimento de fundo foram coletadas em açudes e córregos nas duas bacias hidrográficas. As características avaliadas incluem a distribuição granulométrica, teor de carbono orgânico total e as frações orgânicas e inorgânicas de P. Por meio de curvas de dessorção estimou-se o fósforo particulado potencialmente biodisponível (Pppb), a taxa de dessorção (λ) e o fósforo particulado biodisponível (Ppb). Estimou-se, por meio de curvas de adsorção, a capacidade máxima de adsorção de P (CMAP) e a concentração de equilíbrio de fósforo. Os resultados indicaram que, no tamanho de partículas, a fração areia predominou nas amostras de sedimento de fundo dos córregos, enquanto que nos açudes o sedimento apresentou-se mais fino (silte e argila). As frações de fósforo variaram em função do uso e manejo do solo no entorno, da presença de fontes de poluição pontual ou difusa. As frações predominantes de fósforo predominantes no sedimento de fundo foram as frações inorgânicas. Além disso, as frações de fósforo de menor labilidade foram mais expressivas, indicando baixa capacidade de fornecimento de P para a coluna de água. Com o aumento da pressão antrópica sobre os recursos hídricos ocorreu um aumento nas formas biodisponíveis de P para a biota aquática, observado principalmente pelo aumento nos teores de P extraídos com a resina trocadora de ânions. A elevada CMAP nos sedimentos amostrados nos açudes e córregos indica uma baixa saturação previa dos sítios de adsorção de P, decorrentes dos baixos níveis de P nos solos das bacias e pela baixa aplicação de fertilizantes ou dejetos de suínos e aves. A baixa dessorção de fósforo em água destilada (Q0) e a reduzida CEP conferem aos sedimentos um importante papel de dreno de P solúvel nos recursos hídricos das duas bacias monitoradas.

O gerenciamento da água em bacias hidrográficas implica criar as condições para congregar os diversos pontos de vista dos atores sociais envolvidos, de modo a possibilitar a tomada de decisão consensual. Os interesses dos atores que disputam esse recurso precisam ser compartilhados e alinhados com o equacionamento dos problemas no presente e com a criação de uma visão de futuro que respeite as condições de sustentabilidade para as próximas gerações. Portanto, a gestão precisa promover aprendizagem de natureza social. Este estudo procurou mostrar como ocorre a aprendizagem social em um comitê de gerenciamento de bacia hidrográfica e também como a Teoria da Emergência auxilia na compreensão do comportamento coletivo dos agentes nesse espaço de negociação. A construção do referencial teórico com base nas teorias da aprendizagem social e da emergência possibilitou verificar que o empreendedorismo socioambiental apresenta elementos subjacentes a essas duas correntes conceituais. Diante disso, essa temática foi incorporada ao estudo. A estratégia metodológica utilizada foi o estudo de caso em profundidade no sentido proposto por Yin (2005). A unidade de análise foi o Comitê de Gerenciamento da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Santa Maria, RS, Brasil. Quanto à finalidade, a pesquisa foi classificada como descritiva. Foram utilizados dados primários e secundários e o processo de análise contemplou abordagens quantitativas e qualitativas. A principal fonte de evidências foi um levantamento estruturado realizado com os integrantes do Comitê. O estudo utilizou outras fontes como documentos, entrevistas e observações. A aprendizagem social foi observada nos níveis individual, de grupo e organizacional. Os resultados mostraram que esse é um fenômeno multidimensional que exige o desenvolvimento do conhecimento e também das habilidades relacionais dos agentes. A análise das características do Comitê à luz da Teoria da Emergência evidenciou as propriedades subjacentes dessa teoria respeitando os preceitos dos autores consultados e ressaltando diversas emergências decorrentes de sua criação. A criação do Comitê parece tratar-se de uma inovação social transformadora que contribuiu para demover a estrutura atomizada dos agentes envolvidos e que pode mudar os rumos dos problemas socioeconômicos e ambientais na região, em grande medida pelas relações e interações que possibilitou entre esses mesmos agentes. A análise do comportamento empreendedor dos integrantes mostrou que eles desenvolveram competência social baseada principalmente em interdependência e "suscetibilidade mútua", comprometimento, redes e relacionamento, liderança e adaptabilidade social. As mudanças sofridas por eles, assim como as principais mudanças atribuídas ao Comitê, evidenciaram a ampliação do capital social dos indivíduos e da organização e também a valorização do coletivo acima dos interesses individuais. / Watershed basin management involves creating the right conditions to bring together a variety of points of view from involved social actors, in such a way as to make consensual decision making possible. The interests of actors competing for this resource need to be shared and aligned with the establishment of present-day problems and by creating a vision for the future that respects sustainable conditions of sustainability for generations to come. Therefore, management needs to promote learning of a social nature. This study has sought to demonstrate how social learning takes place in a watershed basin management committee, as well as how Emergence Theory helps one to comprehend the collective behavior of agents in this negotiation space. The construction of a theoretical foundation based on social learning and emergence theories made it possible to verify that socioenvironmental entrepreneurship presents elements which underlie these two conceptual currents. In the face of this, this theme was incorporated into the study. An in-depth case study, in the sense proposed by Yin (2005) was chosen as the methodological strategy. The unit chosen for analysis was the Santa Maria River Watershed Basin Management Committee, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. As for the finality, the research was classified as descriptive. Primary and secondary data was used, and the analytical process contemplated quantitative and qualitative approaches. The main source of evidence was a structured survey carried out with the members of the Committee. The study also used other sources, such as documents, interviews and observations. Social learning was observed at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The results demonstrated that this is a multidimensional phenomenon that demands the development of knowledge, as well as interpersonal skills on the part of the agents. The analysis of the Committee's characteristics under the light of the Emergence Theory provided evidence of the underlying properties of this theory, respecting the precepts of the consulted authors and emphasizing a variety of emergences resulting from its creation. The creation of the Committee appears to be a transformative social innovation that contributed to changing the atomized structure of involved agents and which can change the course of regional socio-economic and environmental problems, in great measure through the relations and interactions it made possible between said agents. Analysis of members' entrepreneurial behavior demonstrated that they developed social abilities based mainly on interdependence and "mutual susceptibility", commitment, networks and relationships, leadership and social adaptability. The changes they experienced, as well as the main changes attributed to the Committee, provided evidence of the enlargement of the social capital of individuals and the organization as well as increased value placed on the collective, above individual interests.