Lake and Water Governance Research Trajectories in Stakeholder Engagement and Participation

Global water governance faces a multidimensional crisis, with two billion people lacking safe drinking water access and lake ecosystem degradation threatening food security. Despite recognition of stakeholder engagement’s importance, no comprehensive bibliometric study has systematically mapped this research evolution. This study analyzes lake and water governance research evolution from 2000 to 2025, maps dominant themes, identifies international collaboration networks, and highlights research gaps in developing countries. Bibliometric analysis following PRISMA protocol used Scopus and Web of Science databases. From 1,385 initial documents, 660 articles were analyzed after duplicate removal and relevance screening using Biblioshiny for science mapping and network visualizations. Results revealed a 15.78% annual growth rate, peaking at 73 articles in 2024. Dominant concepts included management, governance, climate change, and stakeholder participation. The United States led with 355 publications, followed by Australia and the Netherlands. Geographic disparities showed OECD dominance, with Africa-South Asia underrepresented. International collaboration reached 32.27%. Water governance research has transitioned toward adaptive-participatory paradigms; however, persistent North-South disparities emphasize the need for democratizing research and strengthening developing country capacity.