Ecological patterns in the Porto-Novo Lagoon (Benin, West Africa): A review with implications for SDG 6.3.2 and EU-WFD readiness toward ecological status classification

Abstract

Urban tropical lagoons provide vital services yet face nutrient loading, macrophyte blooms, and episodic hypoxia. This scoping review compiles four decades of hydromorphological, physico-chemical, and biotic evidence for Benin’s Porto-Novo Lagoon and assesses readiness for UNEP SDG 6.3.2 Level 1 reporting and a EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)-oriented exploratory gap analysis rather than an operational assessment. The lagoon is strongly seasonal, shaped by Ouémé inflows and marine intrusions; eutrophication symptoms and floating macrophytes have intensified since the 1980s. Core SDG 6.3.2 Level 1 parameter-group proxies (pH, DO, EC, PO₄-P) are moderately covered, but nitrogen evidence is scarce and time-continuous station series are rare. A completeness audit indicates about 60% coverage for SDG-related variables and lower maturity for WFD biological elements, meaning that formal SDG compliance-based classification (“good and not good”) and any Ecological Quality Ratios based WFD ecological status classification cannot be derived from the compiled literature. Near-term priorities are therefore framed as readiness building, focused on strengthening consistent in situ series for the SDG core groups; context-adapted complementary sources may support gap filling and interpretation but do not substitute Level 1 requirements. For WFD, the evidence base highlights prerequisites for future work, including transitional water-body delimitation and type-specific reference conditions, standardised Biological Quality Elements monitoring, and priority-substance surveillance. Comparison with Ébrié, Lekki, and Sakumo II underscores the value of governance and monitoring designs that avoid data fragmentation.