Entre conservation, survie et sécurisation : Quel(s) modèle(s) de gouvernance dans le parc du W-Bénin ?

Abstract

This paper examines how agendas, interests, and issues at local, national, regional, and international levels evolve around the W-Benin Park. It analyzes how governance in the area is shaped by the conservation of protected areas (for political, economic, or ideological reasons), the consideration of communities’ basic needs, the opportunism of armed groups, and security efforts in response to recurrent attacks on state representatives and local populations. This article is based on documentary research from academic publications and institutional reports and a dozen qualitative interviews conducted in Cotonou and by telephone in March 2022 with key stakeholders involved in the management of the park and with the communities bordering Park W in the communes of Karimama, Malanville and Banikoara in August 2022. It reveals that since its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the management of the Benin W-park has been the focus of numerous governance initiatives at local, national and regional. This governance, which is sometimes exclusively state-run, sometimes participatory and sometimes privatised, encompasses power issues that extend beyond mere ecological concerns. While conservation and survival were once the primary focus, the management of Park W-Bénin must now address security challenges posed by the presence of armed groups in the region, compromising the governance ambitions of this protected area.

Keywords

• governance
• conflicts
• Benin
• W-Park
• AVIGREF
• African Parks Network