Governance and management of ecosystem services involve a diversity of institutional mechanisms and policy processes from voluntary to regulatory and collaborative approaches. The governance structures and policy processes are often contested, particularly when stakeholder concerns are insufficiently addressed, particularly of those who are most affected by policy decisions. This research examines how collaborative governance enables the ecosystem services approach to source water protection, thereby addressing contested governance problems and policy processes in transboundary river basins in central Nepal. The data were collected using key informant interviews, policy workshops, policy document review, and direct observation. Research results suggest that the state established collaborative governance institutions to improve already adversarial situations rather than in the co-management of water provisioning and other ecosystem services. We conclude that collaborative governance should focus on empowering vulnerable communities to speak for themselves and for the natural environment, particularly to maintain the sustainable flow of multiple ecosystem services for current and future generations.

生态系统服务的治理和管理涉及从自愿到监管和协作方法的多种体制机制和政策过程。治理结构和政策流程通常存在争议，特别是当利益相关者的关注点未能得到充分解决时，尤其是那些受政策决定影响最大的群体。这项研究探讨了合作治理如何使生态系统服务方法能够实现水源保护，从而解决尼泊尔中部跨界流域中有争议的治理问题和政策流程。数据是使用重要的信息提供者访谈，政策研讨会，政策文件审阅和直接观察收集的。研究结果表明，该州建立了合作治理机构，以改善已经存在的对抗性状况，而不是在供水和其他生态系统服务的共同管理中。我们得出的结论是，协作治理应集中于增强弱势社区的发言权，以为自己和自然环境说话，尤其是要为今世后代维持多种生态系统服务的可持续发展。