The property right is one of the most vital factors determining the sustainable governance and utilization of the wetlands. The paper analyses property right issues and institutional arrangements of a rural man-made wetland in dryland areas of West Bengal, India. It uses Participatory Rural Appraisal, Key-Informant’s Interview, Focus Group Discussion, and household interview to accomplish this objective. The wetland, being located in the dryland landscape, serves as the primary freshwater source for surrounding communities and is used for multiple purposes. However, the conflict among the stakeholders on property right has caused the dissolution of the traditional local institution. Lack of regulation on water and fish extraction from the wetland affected essential human activities like household use, irrigation, and fishery. Moreover, conflict among the stakeholders adversely eroded any form of collective action for maintenance and renovation of the wetland. The study suggests that decentralized conflict resolution through dialogue is the pre-requisite for encouraging collective action and development of institutional arrangements which are vital for the restoration and sustainable utilization of the wetland.

产权是决定湿地可持续治理和利用的最重要因素之一。本文分析了印度西孟加拉邦干旱地区的农村人工湿地的产权问题和制度安排。它使用参与式农村评估，关键信息人的访谈，焦点小组讨论和家庭访谈来实现此目标。湿地位于干旱地区，是周围社区的主要淡水水源，可用于多种用途。但是，利益相关者之间在产权上的冲突导致传统的地方机构解散。缺乏对从湿地提取水和鱼的法规影响了人类的基本活动，例如家庭使用，灌溉和渔业。此外，利益相关者之间的冲突不利地侵蚀了维护和翻新湿地的任何形式的集体行动。研究表明，通过对话分散解决冲突是鼓励采取集体行动和发展体制安排的先决条件，这对于恢复和可持续利用湿地至关重要。