Adaptation of an environmental management toolkit

The project area, covering 3,600 hectares, is the “Route des Pêches” (Fisheries Route), located along the coastal zone between the municipalities of Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital, and Ouidah, a historic port known for the transatlantic slave trade. The natural vegetation consists of grassy savanna, grasslands and swamp formations, including mangroves. Farms are small in size and limited in the lakeside areas, where fishing and market gardening activities predominate. Large-scale, though less productive, industrial oil palm and coconut plantations are also still present.

The coastal zone faces strong human pressure and a lack of management policy. In response to declining fish stocks, “acadja” (brush park enclosure) systems have developed, placing pressure on mangrove vegetation. This project aims, on the one hand, to develop and document a simple methodology for assessing environmental degradation, and on the other, to actively involve local communities in environmental preservation by encouraging local initiatives to combat environmental degradation.