Property rights and benefit sharing: a case study of the Barotse floodplain of Zambia

The study sought to expose the underlying complexity of benefit sharing of ecosystem goods and services among multiple actors in the Barotse Floodplains of Zambia. This case study is based on the rationale that theories of property rights have not been adequately used to understand and implement benefit sharing arrangements in natural resources governance. The study was descriptive, longitudinal and qualitative in nature. Data collection techniques used in the study included in-depth interviews and documentary sources using thematic analysis for coding and analysis. The study revealed an overwhelming variation of benefit sharing outcomes between eras as a result of varying configuration of bundles of property rights. The variation in eras illustrates a critical relationship between the establishment and enforcement of bundles of property rights and benefit sharing outcomes. This consequently provides insights into the consequences of failing to recognize, establish and enforce bundles of rights in benefit sharing arrangements. In this way, the case study illustrates how the theory of property rights offer a useful perspective through which to better understand and manage benefit sharing arrangements for socio-ecological systems.