Drivers of small-scale fishers’ willingness to adopt property rights co-management in the Lake Nokoué and Porto-Novo Lagoon complex in Benin: Discrete Choice Experiment approach

The estuarian and lagoon areas of southern Benin are an atypical lake territory where private property rights are inherited from endogenous law. In this area, people live in stilt dwellings and exclusively for free-to-access fishing. Consequently, an increasing number of fishers with low respect for the State’ general rules for fishing sustainability contribute to the tragedy of commons. Co-management of small-scale fisheries has been advocated to offer various benefits, including improved socio-ecological integration, shared sustainable livelihoods and adherence to biodiversity objectives. This study aims to assess the factors that influence the willingness of small-scale fishers to adopt property rights co-management options in southern Benin. We interviewed a random sample of 277 small-scale fishers. The data collected using the Discrete Choice Experiment were analysed using mixed and latent class logit models. The results show that only 44% of fishers are willing to adopt property rights co-management options. This willingness to adopt is determined by their involvement in the co-management committee, access to a subsidy and livelihood diversification options. However, they would prefer to keep the area of water granted as small as possible, even if they are motivated to contribute to more open space on the water bodies. These fishers are primarily owners of Acadja, members of fishers’ associations, and are the oldest in the sample. Institutional agreements for co-management establishment, subsidies to support small-scale fishers’ livelihood diversification and capacity-building must be set up to reduce their fishing time and ensure fishery viability.