Jesse Baltutis
Position
Jesse Baltutis is a PhD Candidate at the Water, Innovation, and Global Governance (WIGG) lab (Dept. of Geography), and a Graduate Fellow of the Borders in Globalization project, at the Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria. Jesse's doctoral research aims to develop a deeper understanding of the role and influence of local actors on governance processes for international rivers, and explore if (and how) borders and borderlands are being reconceptualized as a result of the changing nature of transboundary water governance processes. His geographical focus for research is the Columbia River basin (Canada/U.S.) and the Orange-Senqu River basin (Lesotho, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana). Jesse's Crossing Borders research project will take him to South Africa, where he will be based at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Pretoria), exploring the role and influence of local actors on the development of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, situated in the headwaters of the Orange-Senqu basin.