Land Use and Biodiversity in Unprotected Landscapes: The Case of Noncultivated Plant Use and Management by Rural Communities in Benin and Togo

Abstract

To contribute to the development of strategies for sustainable agricultural land use and biodiversity conservation in landscapes without formal protection status, we investigated the local use and management of noncultivated plants as important ecosystem functions of inland valleys in south Benin and Togo, and local perceptions on changes in plant biodiversity and causes for these changes. Local users of noncultivated plants perceived agriculture and construction as major factors contributing to the reduction of (noncultivated) plant biodiversity. However, they also collect many useful species from agricultural fields and the village. A small community forest reserve and a 2-ha community garden were the only organized forms of conservation management. Observed ad hoc conservation initiatives were selective harvesting of plant parts, preserving trees during land clearing, and allowing useful weed species in the field. Future development and conservation efforts in unprotected landscapes with multiple ecosystem functions should acknowledge knowledge, interests, and needs of local communities.

Keywords:

• community conservation
• inland valleys
• landscape planning
• local knowledge
• natural resource management
• plant biodiversity
• rural areas
• sustainable land use
• weeds
• West Africa

Acknowledgments

This study is an output of the Inland Valley Consortium (IVC) convened by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice). Financial assistance to this study was granted by the Dutch Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS) through the Associate Experts Program. We thank Chabi Adeyemi of AfricaRice, Soklou Worou of ITRA (Togo), Aristide Adomou of the Université d'Abomey-Calavi, and Charles Agli of INRAB (Benin) for their kind assistance. The authors attest originality of the data and assume full responsibility for any remaining shortcomings. The ideas expressed in the article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the donors or affiliated institutions.

Notes

^a Means, within each line, followed by a different letter (a, b) are significantly different (p < .05) according to the independent-sample t test.

^b Standard error of difference (SED): 0.29; p = .035.

^c SED: 0.41; p = .044.

^d SED: 0.40; p = .047.

^a Values in the table represent mean ranks between 0 (never visited) and 5 (most often visited).

Note. Values are mean ranks based on interdependent ranks from 1 to 6 in increasing importance (categories not mentioned received a zero score).

Note. Use: Fo = food, Fi = firewood, M = medicinal, C = construction, H = household, Cp = crop protection (including agroforestry, soil water conservation, and bio-pesticides), T = traditions and ceremonies, FH = fishing and hunting.