Grabbing Urban Wetland Commons in the Name of Sustainable Development: Strategic Marginalization of Local Institutions in Cotonou, Benin

This study assesses how the Cotonou Stormwater Sanitation Programme (CPAP) affects wetland governance, biodiversity and livelihood dependence. A mixed approach combined semi-structured interviews, ecological inventories and spatial analyses.

The programme is implemented in Cotonou and responds to SDG 6: safe drinking water and sanitation and SDG 11: sustainable cities and communities, which do not clearly take into account the use that local people make of the wetlands they use and manage. People use plant resources for food (37%), grazing domestic livestock (26%), medicine/medical magic (26%), handicrafts or wrapping ropes or leaves (9%), use of firewood (2%). The results show that 81.67% of respondents recognize customary institutions governing wetlands, while 76.67% report being excluded from formal planning processes. Participation remains limited in planning but increases in the implementation and monitoring phases. The landscape is highly urbanized (88.19%), with only 11.74% of natural wetlands remaining. Nevertheless, 45 species of plants and 25 species of birds have been recorded.

To reverse this situation, it is necessary to involve people in the implementation of SDG 6 and 11 through the creation of local committees for the management of common pool-resources. These committees must consider different socio-cultural groups and genders and ensure the sustainability of resources. It would also be necessary to set up a Communication Plan and stop the commons grabbing processes via the implementation of the SDGs.