Impact potentiel du changement climatique sur les avantages socioculturels et pecuniaires tires de Cochlospermum kunth

écosystémiques fournis par deux espèces du genre Cochlospermum fortement exploitées au Bénin. Cent quatre femmes commerçantes de Cochlospermum ont été interviewées dans trois marches principaux. Les savoirs des femmes de différents groupes sociolinguistiques sur les usages spécifiques du Cochlospermum ainsi que les quantités vendues de poudre de racine de l’espèce et les revenus tirés ont été estimés et comparés au moyen d’indices ethnobotaniques et des marges brutes, sur la base des déclarations des enquêtés. Les probabilités d’occurrence du Cochlospermum ont été générées après modélisation de sa distribution avec l’algorithme MAXENT. Ensuite, les valeurs moyennes actuelles et futures du revenu monétaire et de l’indice d’importance culturelle ont été estimées et liées aux coordonnées géoréférencées des centroïdes des cellules de la grille contenant les probabilités d’occurrence de Cochlospermum, puis projetées sur des cartes. Le nombre moyen d’usages par enquêté était le plus élevé chez les commerçantes Mokolés et près de deux fois plus grand que chez les commerçantes des autres groupes sociolinguistiques (Chi 2 = 62, p < 0,001). Les quantités de poudre de racine de Cochlospermum vendues annuellement par commerçante sont en moyenne similaires sur les marchés considérés soit 31,19 kg. Toutefois, les marges brutes tirées à Angaradébou sont significativement plus élevées que celles de Natitingou. Les deux scénarios de changement climatique entrevoient une augmentation potentielle des avantages pécuniaires tirés de Cochlospermum et un renforcement potentiel de son importance socioculturel. Cochlospermum pourrait alors être une candidate clé à l’autonomisation des femmes dans un contexte de changement climatique.  English title: Climate change and socio-economics of Cochlospermum Abstract This study assessed the potential impact of climate change on ecosystem services provided by the two species of the genus Cochlospermum in Benin. One hundred and four female traders of different sociolinguistic groups were sampled and interviewed. Women’s knowledge of the specific uses of Cochlospermum as well as the quantities of Cochlospermum root powder sold and the income derived were estimated and compared using ethnobotanical index and gross margins, based on the statements of the respondents. The probabilities of occurrence of Cochlospermum were generated after modelling its distribution using MAXENT algorithm. Then, the average values of the current and future monetary income and the index of cultural importance were estimated and linked to the georeferenced coordinates of the centroids of grid cells containing Cochlospermum probabilities of occurrence and then projected on maps. The average number of uses per respondent was highest among Mokolé traders and almost twice as high as among those from other sociolinguistic groups (Chi 2 62, p <0.001). The quantities of Cochlospermum root powder sold annually were on average similar on the markets considered, i.e. 31.19 kg. However, the gross margins drawn at Angaradébou were significantly higher than those at Natitingou. Both used climate change scenarios foresaw a potential increase in the monetary benefits derived from Cochlospermum and a potential enhancement of its socio-cultural importance. Cochlospermum could then be a key candidate for the empowerment of women in a context of climate change. Keyword: wild edible plants; income; Bray Curtis index; Cultural importance index, Maxent, climatic projection

Lantana camara (verbenaceae) : a potential threat to the effectiveness of protected areas to conserve flora and fauna in Benin

Invasive plant species are today among the biggest threats to integrity of many ecosystems including that of the protected areas. Climate change may exacerbate the negative effects of invasive plant species. Here, we used the Maximum Entropy model to project habitat suitability for Lantana camara L., an invasive plant species under current and future climates in the national protected areas network of Benin. The models were run using bioclimatic data and data on soil type. Nineteen percent of the total land in the protected areas network was highly suitable for L. camara under current climate. Highly suitable areas under current and future climates cover about 65 % of the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, the major wildlife sanctuary in Benin. Other bio-reserves such as W National Park, Lama, Agoua, Dogo-Kétou, Atchérigbé, Mékrou and Kouandé Forest Reserves were also suitable for the species. Presence of L. camara in the protected areas represents a great potential threat to the global food webs being conserved. Based on these results, areas with highly suitable habitats are at high risk of invasion by L. camara, and should be accorded high priority when formulating appropriate management strategies.Keywords: Invasive species ; Climate change ; Habitat suitability ; Protected areas ; West AfricaLantana camara et les aires protegees au BeninLes espèces invasives font de nos jours partie des plus importantes menaces aux quelles font face les écosystèmes y compris les aires protégées. Les changements climatiques peuvent amplifier leurs effets négatifs. Dans la présente étude, nous avons utilisé un algorithme de modélisation de niche écologique, le Maximum Entropy pour analyser la susceptibilité des habitats à être colonisés par Lantana camara L., une plante invasive, sous les conditions climatiques actuelles et futures dans les aires protégées du Bénin. Les modèles ont été établis en utilisant des données bioclimatiques et des données relatives aux types de sol. Dans les conditions climatiques actuelles, 19 % de la superficie totale du réseau des aires protégées est significativement favorable à L. camara. Sous les conditions climatiques actuelles et futures, 65 % de la réserve de biosphère de Pendjari, le plus important sanctuaire de faune sauvage du Bénin, est hautement favorable à l’espèce. D’autres bio-réserves telles que le Parc National W et les reserves forestières de Lama, Agoua, Dogo-Kétou, Atchérigbé, Mékrou et Kouandé ont aussi des habitats favorable à l’espèce. En nous fondant sur ces résultats, les zones favorables sont à haut risque d’invasion par L. camara et  devraient être priorisées lors de la formulation de stratégies préventives appropriées.Mots clés: Espèces envahissantes ; Changements Climatiques ; Habitats favorables ; Aires protégées, Afrique de l’Ouest

Traditional knowledge and cultural importance of Borassus aethiopum Mart. in Benin: interacting effects of socio-demographic attributes and multi-scale abundance

ResearchBackground: Eliciting factors affecting distribution of traditional knowledge (TK) and cultural importance of plant resources is central in ethnobiology. Socio-demographic attributes and ecological apparency hypothesis (EAH) have been widely documented as drivers of TK distribution, but their synergistic effect is poorly documented. Here, we focused on Borassus aethiopum, a socio-economic important agroforestry palm in Africa, analyzing relationships between the number of use-reports and cultural importance on one hand, and informant socio-demographic attributes (age category and gender) on the other hand, considering the EAH at multi-scale contexts. Our hypothesis is that effects of socio-demographic attributes on use-reports and cultural importance are shaped by both local (village level) and regional (chorological region level) apparency of study species. We expected so because distribution of knowledge on a resource in a community correlates to the versatility in the resource utilization but also connections among communities within a region. Methods: Nine hundred ninety-two face-to-face individual semi-structured interviews were conducted in six villages of low versus high local abundance of B. aethiopum spanning three chorological regions (humid, sub-humid and semiarid) also underlying a gradient of increasing distribution and abundance of B. aethiopum. Number of use-reports and score of importance of uses of B. aethiopum were recorded in six use-categories including medicine, food, handcraft, construction, firewood, and ceremonies and rituals. Data were analyzed using Poisson and ordered logistic modelsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adoption of roguing to contain banana bunchy top disease in south-east Benin: role of farmers' knowledge and perception

Published online: 26 Oct 2019Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) caused by Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) has emerged as a major constraint of banana and plantain production in south-East Bénin. Roguing method is used in this area to destroy the BBTV-infected plants and to contain its spread. This study was conducted to assess the level of adoption of the method in relation to farmers’ perception. The research was conducted in eight communities and data collected from 186 randomly selected banana growers. Farmers’ perception on the roguing method as compared to traditional practices was analyzed using an aggregated perception index. The counterfactual method based on Average Treatment Effect was used to estimate adoption rates and determine the factors influencing adoption. Results showed that roguing is perceived to provide more advantages than traditional practices, but it is often time consuming and very labor demanding. The actual adoption rate is 36%. It would have been 56% if all the growers sampled were sensitized. As a matter of fact, the majority (73%) of sensitized growers adopted the method. More efforts and resources should be put into sensitizing and mobilizing farmers on the adoption of this technology while improving its efficiency and taking account the shortcomings reported by farmers. This, coupled with an increase in easy access to healthy planting materials and use of good production practices could improve the adoption of roguing and consequently ensure the effective containment of BBTD