Abstract Wetlands are unique ecosystems that play a critical role in the preservation of biodiversity and the provision of ecological services. This work on the Urban Political Ecology (UPE) of wetland resources in Bamenda has as objective to examine stakeholder participation and power relations resulting from the exploitation and management of wetlands. It looks at the challenges of wetland conservation in context of rapid urbanization. Using a mixed methods approach and the specific case of Bamenda III municipality, data was collected from secondary and primary sources. A household questionnaire survey was conducted with 150 households while 12 in-depth interviews were carried out with key informants. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitative and results were critiqued using the lens of UPE. Results show that between 1988 and 2022, wetlands reduction was more than 6.78%. This reduction is caused by agriculture, land reclamation and expansion of urban infrastructure. As such, Conservation has become a huge challenge due to overlapping responsibilities and an ambiguous regulatory system that focuses on biodiversity conservation only. This has created conflictual power relations and a complexified management system. The UPE approach has revealed that the consideration of socio-economic and cultural ecosystem services in wetland management is key to sustainability.

Abstract Tourism has been instrumental in fostering regional economic growth, enhancing the quality of life of residents, and boosting the image of urban areas in Shaanxi, thanks to the accelerated economic and social development of recent years. Nevertheless, the issue of aligning urban development and tourism in terms of space, resources, and the industrial chain remains a significant concern. This paper establishes an evaluation index system for tourism and urban development in the Shaanxi region from 2009 to 2019. It then employs the systematic coupling coordination model to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the coupling coordination degree of tourism and urban development in the region, as well as its various influencing factors. The study demonstrates that the coupling and coordination degree of tourism and urban development in the Shaanxi region exhibited a trend of continuous improvement from 2009 to 2019. The region underwent three stages of development: “uncoordinated development (2009–2011), transformation development (2012–2016), and coordinated development (2017–2019).” The coupling coordination level was elevated from “mild dissonance” to “intermediate coordination” in 2019. In contrast, the tourism economic development of Shaanxi cities remains unequal, as evidenced by the existence of two distinct categories of development: the “lagging tourism economy” and the “coordinated tourism economy.” The findings of this investigation indicate that the general trend of urban development and tourism in Shaanxi is favorable; however, the disparities in the progress of the tourism economy among cities necessitate additional regional coordination and cooperation. The theoretical support for the relevant research and a reference basis for tourism development planning and urban policy making are provided by the evaluation index system and the systematic coupling coordination model proposed in this paper. This will facilitate the sustainable and coordinated development of the tourism industry and cities in Shaanxi.