Two-faced urban wetlands in Dakar: Opportunity or threat?

Abstract

In Dakar, wetlands are natural spaces containing an essential part of urban biodiversity. They are a natural heritage to preserve (Lézy-Bruno, 2010). Although their usefulness is recognized by all, their maintenance clashes with the desire to occupy more space (Aschan-Leygonie, Bonnaud and Girault, 2015, Beaumais et al., 2008). The conservation of wetlands in the heart of the city poses more and more problems, inherent to urban dynamics. Currently, wetlands appear as a constraint to urbanization in some districts of Dakar. They disappear in favor of housing and public infrastructure. Paradoxically, wetlands polarize various socio-economic activities (agriculture, fishing, livestock farming, etc.) in the city. As a result, they are subject to conflict between several actors (state authorities, populations, environmental protection organizations). However, beyond the conflicts, it is a question of an opposition between two apprehensions of the use of urban natural landscapes. While the need to enhance these natural spaces is evident to some stakeholders, others believe that they need to be re-qualified or re-assigned to residential uses and related activities.