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Privatizing the commons: impact on ecosystem services in Bangalore’s lakes

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Abstract

The incipient megapolis of Bangalore, India, has historically been dependent on ecosystem services provided by an extensive network of lakes. Today, many of these lakes have disappeared or been degraded due to pressures of development and urbanization. This paper assesses the impact of governance through Private-Public-Partnerships (PPPs) in three lakes, by examining the impacts on provisioning and cultural ecosystem services, by comparison with adjacent, state managed (public) lakes. Public lakes support a greater diversity of traditional livelihoods, non-commercial uses and cultural services as compared to privatized lakes. PPPs thus appear to exacerbate inequities in access, in particular for users dependent on traditional livelihood services and cultural ecological services from lakes. Results indicate that implementation of PPP approaches need reconsideration from an equity perspective in cities of the global South.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support for this study was provided by a PEER grant from USAID, and from a Department of Science and Technology, Government of India Ramanujan Fellowship to HN. We thank Manjunath B for his assistance with field data collection and analysis, and Sreerupa Sen for assistance with spatial analysis. We also thank Maria Tengö and Johan Enqvist for their feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript. 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, 560064, India

    Hita Unnikrishnan

  2. School of Development, Azim Premji University, PES Institute of Technology Campus, Pixel Park, B Block, Electronics City, Hosur Road, Bangalore, 560100, India

    Harini Nagendra

  3. Manipal University, Manipal, Udupi, 576104, India

    Hita Unnikrishnan

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  1. Hita Unnikrishnan
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  2. Harini Nagendra
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Correspondence to Hita Unnikrishnan.

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Unnikrishnan, H., Nagendra, H. Privatizing the commons: impact on ecosystem services in Bangalore’s lakes. Urban Ecosyst 18, 613–632 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-014-0401-0

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