Negotiating wetlands: Convivial conservation and collective wetland management in Ada, Ghana

Negotiating wetlands: Convivial conservation and collective wetland management in Ada, Ghana | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Negotiating wetlands: Convivial conservation and collective wetland management in Ada, Ghana Louis Kusi Frimpong, Stephen Leonard Mensah, Seth Asare Okyere, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9091944/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Across the rapidly urbanizing Global South, wetlands continue to experience intense socio-ecological pressures despite their numerous benefits to humans and wildlife. Protecting wetlands and other ecological resources requires a renewed sense of ecological stewardship, especially in endangered regions. This study contributes to this call by (1) analyze the drivers of land-use change and ecological vulnerability of the Ada-Songhor wetland area (2) explore the various conservation practices deployed and how they support livelihoods and wetland protection (3) examine the role of commons-based approaches (i.e. trust, community participation and social cohesion) in mediating the outcome of wetlands governance. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines satellite imagery analysis with stakeholder interviews, the study finds significant spatial transformations over the past three decades, including a 10% loss of vegetation cover and a 15% increase in bare land, largely due to anthropogenic activities. The findings further show that state-community collaborations have been useful in co-producing convivial conservation practices and community-based approaches to safeguard the wetlands. Overall, the study’s findings highlight the socio-ecological and governance complexities of wetlands management and underscore the benefits of collaborative, well-coordinated, and socially attuned management practices for protecting ecologically sensitive areas. conviviality wetlands conservation commons livelihood Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 12 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 13 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 12 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 11 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9091944","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":607170274,"identity":"e733a320-ee14-4e8e-9bbf-5e7ef077a722","order_by":0,"name":"Louis Kusi Frimpong","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPh7GBwwJYCbzARABxEAuYwNuLWw8zAZQLWwJJGiBAB4DYrUcZvvwMOeOnDn/mm8SH/5YM/Cz5xgwft2BRwtvM/OMxG3PjC1nvN0mObMtnUGy540Bs+wZPFr4+Q8zJG47nLjhxtlt0rwNhxkMbuQYMEu24dPCzAzVcuaZ9J8/hxnsCWoBOgyi5XwPmzQDG9AWCaBfPuLTwnMYpOWZscENNmPL3rZ0HokzzwoOM+LRws+TzMz4c9sdOYPzhx/e+PHHWo6/PXnjw594tEDBAQYGiQQwiwdEHOYhqAOkhf8Agsv4g7CWUTAKRsEoGDkAADSnUvMPZUiNAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of Environment and Sustainable Development","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Louis","middleName":"Kusi","lastName":"Frimpong","suffix":""},{"id":607170276,"identity":"8d629a89-1b82-4aaf-a366-47fc72aec24b","order_by":1,"name":"Stephen Leonard Mensah","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Memphis","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stephen","middleName":"Leonard","lastName":"Mensah","suffix":""},{"id":607170279,"identity":"cff4dedd-a9c9-4f4c-bc86-5f92168f2b45","order_by":2,"name":"Seth Asare Okyere","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Pittsburgh","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Seth","middleName":"Asare","lastName":"Okyere","suffix":""},{"id":607170281,"identity":"1737b430-c13d-44ff-9aca-7e5a7da47d93","order_by":3,"name":"Shine Francis Gbedemah","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Environment and Sustainable Development","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shine","middleName":"Francis","lastName":"Gbedemah","suffix":""},{"id":607170284,"identity":"cb262e97-12b2-4de2-891a-9f403328aac6","order_by":4,"name":"Martin Oteng-Ababio","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ghana","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Martin","middleName":"","lastName":"Oteng-Ababio","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-11 08:26:27","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9091944/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9091944/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105034404,"identity":"a3f3bc29-8cee-441c-99d6-16fbd6bc5eb6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-20 07:23:16","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":728431,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptWetlandpaper.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9091944/v1_covered_7609c80e-1593-4e72-b2fc-327b5a359494.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Negotiating wetlands: Convivial conservation and collective wetland management in Ada, Ghana","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-management","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"emvm","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Management](http://link.springer.com/journal/267)","snPcode":"267","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/267/3","title":"Environmental Management","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"conviviality, wetlands, conservation, commons, livelihood","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9091944/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9091944/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAcross the rapidly urbanizing Global South, wetlands continue to experience intense socio-ecological pressures despite their numerous benefits to humans and wildlife. 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