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Indigenous perception on ecosystem services provided by honey bees and fruit bats were assessed in Bénin to find out whether the communities value these services and to appreciate if there is any chance to conserve them locally. Farmers were interviewed with questionnaire in three regions of Bénin to report their perception on bats and bees' value in nature, for human, the trend of their populations and the chance to conserve them. We reported that the communities valued more and more bees' services in nature from the Southern to the Northern of the country (3 vs. 52%). Bees were threatened according to 35% (South), 89% (Centre) and 99% (North) of interviewees' declarations. 26-41% persons stated there is chance to conserve them. Bats' seed dispersal was better recognized in the North (91%) than in the Central zone (76%) and in the South (19%). Bats were threatened mainly by their use as bush meat (52-93% of interviewees) and there is some chance to conserve them mainly in the South, according to percentage of respondents. Population regression was declared for these two animals everywhere. We concluded that ecosystem services provided were overall well known giving thereby some chance to promote actions to conserve them.

Pollinators provide pollination services that are crucial for sexual reproduction of many flowering plants. Beside wind and water, pollination services are provided by animals but mainly by insects. They improve the quality and the quantity of many crops. This study aimed at accessing the economic value of pollination services on selected crops in 2010 in Benin. Thus, 29 valued crops were considered and their individual pollination service values obtained from literature. At national scale, the individual gains in production due to pollination services of the selected crops were summed. In this study, all crops used for the calculation require pollination services and their economic added values were estimated to about 99,866.44 billion of local currency (FCFA) (that equal US $ 199.21 million) in 2010. This contributes substantially to the economy of Benin (3.03% of GDP). These results reveal the need to pay more attention to pollinators and their services in agricultural policies definition in Benin. We suggest a rational use of pesticides in agriculture and the preference of traditional practices in agriculture such as the preservation of few native plants in farming areas to give opportunity to conserve pollinators in these areas.

Background Pollinators play a key role in human food production by improving the yield and quality of crops. Several studies assessed the economic value of pollination services delivered by animals through yield improvement. However, little is known about the contribution of animal pollinators to nutrient production. This study assessed the contribution of animal pollination to nutrient production in Benin. Food and Agriculture Organization data on crop production and United States Department of Agriculture crop composition data of 37 leading crops were used. These crops were categorized into five classes, depending on their degree of dependence on animal pollinators for fruit production. Results The study showed that more than half of the studied crops (56.75%) relies at different levels on animal pollination for fruit production. Minerals, namely fluoride (83.92%) and selenium (52.62%), were the most delivered by animal-pollinated crops. Roughly 50% of lipids outputs and 24% of proteins outputs were obtained from pollinator-dependent crops. Significant outputs of fat-soluble vitamins up to 65% were also attributed to animal pollination. A low contribution of animal pollination (up to 8%) was reported for water-soluble vitamins. Conclusion Animal-pollinated crops significantly contribute to the supply of nutrients and consequently to nutritional and food security in Benin. Conservation of pollinators should be considered as an important component of food security programs in the country.