Se ha creado en Nicaragua la “Comisión de Desarrollo Sostenible de la Cuenca del Lago Cocibolca y el Río San Juan”, en cumplimiento de la Ley 626, y de la Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos oficializada en el año 2001. La responsabilidad principal de esta Comisión es “Elaborar y aprobar el Plan de Acción y de Ordenamiento Territorial para la Gestión de la Cuenca”, además de “implementar y dar seguimiento” a los mismos.

The Goascoran River basin is shared by Honduras and El Salvador and is of great environmental, economical and geopolitical importance. In 2006, action was taken to create a multi-sector instance to integrate, influence and coordinate sustainable management of the shared basin. This experience is of great value for IWRM, as the management group establishes a model of work for transboundary management.

The Lempa River is shared by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, making its management a good example of transboundary cooperation. To reach consensus, action was taken to develop a treaty as part of a regional process.  However, since the treaty was not accompanied by strategies designed by local actors, it is somewhat weak. Nonetheless, this case illustrates that political willingness is crucial for advancing towards IWRM in transboundary watersheds. 

The San Juan River waters have experienced deterioration due to poor management of its basin. To address the issues, action has been taken to implement IWRM to address the areas of water, soil, forests and municipal development in a cross-sectoral manner.  This case study is a good reminder of the integrated nature of IWRM, and the importance of a model that accounts for management of both water and land.