The replacement of public regimes by private property rights, often as part of a land
privatisation programme, can also have significant impacts on wetlands. The impetus to maximise
individual profits may lead to intensified production and increased pressure on natural resources,
for example through additional inputs of agricultural chemicals and extra head of livestock. Such
patterns, compounded by fragmentation of landholdings, can generate damaging processes in the
form of soil erosion and degradation of basic productivity sources. Once again, positive incentives
are a necessary counterpart to public education and awareness programmes. If private landowners
derive no advantages from maintaining wetland functions and values for the wider community,
then there is little incentive for them to use wetland resources sustainably