Benin, a coastal country in West Africa, is rich in wetlands, two of which are RAMSAR sites. While efforts are underway to protect these sites, managing their peripheral areas, which also hold significant natural resources, remains an ongoing concern. Since 2007, the NGO CIDEV has been working with the Agonvè community on natural resource protection and management, and the promotion of ecotourism: indeed, the village land of Agonvè, together with Lake Azili, forms a wetland located north of RAMSAR site 1518, rich in wildlife and plant diversity.
Before CIDEV began its activities in the region, unregulated human activities (hunting, fishing, raffia harvesting, etc.) were causing the progressive degradation of resources. To protect the area, discussions have been underway since 2008 on establishing a community biological reserve, and several research and negotiation efforts with the Agonvè community have already been carried out: an area of at least 50 ha has been placed under set-aside protection within Agonvè’s village land; an environmental education museum has been built and is run in Agonvè by at least five young people from the village; and an observation tower for better viewing of local flora and fauna has been built and is in use at Agonvè.
