Prioritizing water values for decision-making in transboundary river allocation: A case study of the syr darya river basin

Meadow Poplawsky a, Robert-Jan den Haan b, Rick Hogeboom a, Lara Wöhler a, Markus Berger a

a Multidisciplinary Water Management Group, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, the Netherlands
b Human Centred Design Group, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, the Netherlands

Highlights

Studying water managers' value priorities reveals current practices and future shifts in allocation strategies.
Combining Q-sort surveys with a serious game reduces bias and yields richer results than user either alone.
Syr Darya managers valued economic and environmental values equally in surveys, but economic values dominated in the game.
The serious game 'Together We Flow" realistically simulates transboundary water allocation and fosters cooperation.

How to cite: Poplawsky, M.; den Haan, R.-J.; Hogeboom, R.; Wöhler, L.; Berger, M. Prioritizing water values for decision-making in transboundary river allocation: A case study of the syr darya river basin. J. Environ. Manag. 2025, 393, 126944.