Long-term conservation and rehabilitation of threatened rain forest patches under different human population pressures in West Africa

Abstract

The management schemes of four rain forest patches in southern Benin and south-western Nigeria, which led to the successful protection of numerous threatened plants and animals over the last 20 plus years, are analysed. Since climatic conditions are similar, tree composition depends largely on different availability of water and documented biodiversity mostly on the availability of taxonomic expertise. Management differs according to accessibility and human population pressure, from total closing off of the forest by an international institute near the mega-polis Ibadan to unmarked borders near Lanzron, a remote village in the lower Ouémé Valley, where foreigners are mostly excluded from visiting the site. In Benin, trees and wildlife (antelopes and monkeys) seem best protected where the local vodoun beliefs are adhered to. This is, however, not sufficient and development aid to support and benefit the local population is needed as exemplified in Zinvié. At the Ibadan and Drabo sites, long-term protection is assured by legally-binding landtitles. Since for all of Lanzron and part of Zinvié these are lacking securing them is a priority. In Ibadan, Nigeria, a major rehabilitation effort is concentrated on bringing relatively old grass land and former village sites under forest cover by planting local trees. Rehabilitation in Drabo, in southern Benin, relies on enriching the naturally occurring fallow succession with rare species from nearby threatened sacred forests. We demonstrate that reversing biodiversity loss is possible but requires a long-term commitment. Recommendations for protecting, stabilizing and enhancing similar small hotspots of biodiversity are made. RESEARCH ARTICLE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalPeter Neuenschwander et al. / Nature Conservation 13: 21-46 (2015) 22

Reconstituting a rainforest patch in southern Benin for the protection of threatened plants

“…to Celtidaceae, as observed in Dodja, is being accelerated. In contrast to forests on shallow soil as in IITA-Ibadan, where in some places 40 years were not enough to develop a forest (Neuenschwander et al 2015), Drabo forests develop on deep soil and, by adding species, reach the semblance of a secondary forest within 20 years.…”

“…Interactions with the surrounding population were described in detail in Neuenschwander et al (2015), among others that no gathering of fire wood and medicinal plants is allowed.…”

“…The management of this reconstituted, biodiversity-rich forest with its most important inhabitants, the critically endangered, endemic red-bellied monkey, Cercopithecus erythrogaster (Cercopithecidae) and the interactions with the villagers have already been described and compared with management in other forest sites (Neuenschwander et al 2015). Map of West Africa with ecological zones: SS Sahelo-Sahara, S Sahel savannah, SZ Sudan savannah, SG Guinea savannah, GC Guinea-Congolian forest with closed sdh semi-deciduous forest, egh evergreen forest, asterisks Upper Guinean and Lower Guinean ice-age refuges, triangle Sikensi block.…”

“…Plant material was collected mainly in the following locations (Figure 2): Forest pockets (<1 ha each) near Drabo Gbo and nearby villages; a community forest in Lanzron (50 ha) east of Zinvié in the Ouémé Valley, which is inundated from August to November; the "Forêt de la Panthère" (1.4 ha) of Zinvié (for management of the Lanzron and Zinvié forests see Neuenschwander et al 2015); the forest on the national agricultural research station of Niaouli (170 ha), where collections were made along public paths to the small, local stream and beyond; the "Forêt de Kè" at Dangbo (2 ha) bordering swampland; the forest of Ahozon near Pahou (150 ha natural forest), which is the last remaining coastal forest between Lagos and Accra, now under the supervision of the national forest services; the forest of Pobè (about 115 ha) on land of the national oil palm research institute, with a small river; the forest of Ewè (150 ha), a rich but unprotected forest contested by two rival communities and under threat of disappearing completely; the natural forest of the "Noyau Central" of the Lama forest (2000 ha), which is the largest dry type rainforest of Benin, locally inundated and supervised by the managers of the surrounding teak plantations and the official forest station; the community forest of Tobè near Koko, West of Bantè (350 ha), in the Guinea Savannah, which is controlled by the local community and supported by an NGO; the forest of Pénéssoulou still further north; plus exchanges of plants with the Botanic Garden of the University of Abomey-Calavi. With the exceptions of Tobè and Pénéssoulou, the flora of these sites belongs to different phyto-districts of the Guineo-Congolese semi-deciduous forest zone .…”

Comprendre les besoins en ressources végétales des populations riveraines pour une gestion durable de la forêt Bahazoun au Sud-Bénin (Afrique de l’Ouest)

“…Dossou et al (2012) n'a permis de recenser que 28 espèces ligneuses. Il ressort de la présente étude que la stratégie d'enquête utilisée qui a consisté à focaliser nos investigations sur quatre hameaux riverains partageant l'autorité de la forêt Bahazoun d'une part et la prise en compte des espèces ligneuses ou non d'autre part a été concluante avec 94 espèces végétales inventoriées sur une flore estimée à 139 espèces (Neuenschwander et al, 2015). La diversité des plantes utiles de forêt serait liée à la réputation des enquêtés dans la pratique de la médecine traditionnelle.…”