Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a very encompassing concept that needs breaking down in order for it to be applied to real life cases. This paper breaks down this concept to consider the multiple objectives and uses of water, the incorporation of other sectors in the planning process and the involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process. The IWRM concept is applied to develop an integrated water resources river basin plan for the Sao Francisco river basin. This basin has an area of 600 000km(2) with significant climatic, ecological and socio-economic variations. A river basin committee, with representatives from government, users, professional associations and NGO, is responsible for approving the river basin plan. The plan was developed by the National Water Agency of Brazil and submitted to the river basin committee for approval. The preparation of the plan involved a large number of stakeholders from state government agencies, local governments, users and the organized civil society. This paper presents this integrated river basin plan and the correspondent participatory development process.
