Benin

África

200

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Benin stretches from the Gulf of Guinea to the Niger river, passing through coastal lagoons, mosaics of forest and savannah in the centre, and wooded Sudanian savannah in the north, where its wildlife is concentrated. Pendjari park, in the Atacora range, is regarded as one of the best preserved in West Africa and forms with W and Arly a transboundary complex that holds the last significant lion population in the region, as well as elephants, buffalo, hippopotamuses, cheetahs and large concentrations of antelopes. On the coast, Lake Nokoué and the Porto-Novo lagoon sustain mangroves, traditional fisheries and lake villages built on stilts. The sacred groves and the wetlands of the south complete a mosaic in which conservation rests on deeply rooted local traditions.

The nature of Benin

National animal: The leopard, historic emblem of the kings of Dahomey and present on the national coat of arms

Did you know?

In Ouidah, the historic city of Vodun, there is a temple dedicated to royal pythons where several dozen of these snakes live, regarded as sacred. At night they are allowed out to roam freely through the streets and houses of the neighbourhood, and residents who come across a python pick it up carefully and return it to the temple. Killing them is forbidden by tradition, which has turned the city into an extraordinary refuge for the species.

Biodiversity profile

Africa Occidental (extremo este del hotspot de los Bosques Guineanos, en la brecha climatica de Dahomey)Dato no disponible con precision agregada nacional en fuentes verificadas consultadas

Climate

•Tropical con estacion seca (Aw), con clima notablemente mas seco que sus vecinos costeros por la "brecha de Dahomey"

Main biomes

•Mosaico de bosque-sabana guineano
•Sabana sudanesa (norte, complejo transfronterizo WAP con Níger y Burkina Faso)
•Vegetacion de la brecha de Dahomey (zona seca inducida climaticamente que separa los bosques de Guinea Alta y Baja)
•Sabana sudanesa arbolada
•Bosque de galería
•Laguna costera
•Manglar atlántico
•Bosque sagrado
•Mosaico bosque-sabana
•Llanura inundable

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Costa del Golfo de Guinea, con lagunas costeras

Flagship wildlife

•Elefante de sabana africano
•Leon del Africa Occidental (poblacion del complejo WAP, una de las ultimas del oeste africano)
•Bufalo africano
•Antilopes de sabana
•Pitón real
•León africano
•Elefante africano de sabana
•Guepardo
•Búfalo cafre
•Hipopótamo
•Cobo de agua
•Babuino anubis
•Manatí africano
•Buitre orejudo

Notable endemic species

•Benin contiene la menor proporcion de cualquier pais dentro del hotspot de los Bosques Guineanos de Africa Occidental (solo 0,2-1,2% de su territorio forma parte del hotspot), reflejo de su posicion en la brecha seca de Dahomey

Notable threatened species

•Leon del Africa Occidental (En Peligro Critico, una de las poblaciones mas amenazadas de leones del planeta, concentrada en el complejo WAP)
•Elefante de sabana (Vulnerable/En Peligro segun poblacion)

Notable protected areas

•Complejo transfronterizo WAP (W-Arly-Pendjari, compartido con Níger y Burkina Faso, Patrimonio Mundial, refugio critico de leon del Africa Occidental)
•Parque Nacional de la Pendjari
•Parque Nacional de la W
•Templo de las Pitones de Uidá
•Lago Nokoué
•Reserva de la Biosfera del Bajo Mono
•Bosque sagrado de Kpassè

Main conservation threats

•Caza furtiva de grandes mamiferos de sabana, particularmente leones y elefantes
•Presion agricola y ganadera sobre las zonas de sabana protegida
•La brecha de Dahomey limita naturalmente la conectividad de bosque con los hotspots vecinos

Notable natural phenomena

•La brecha de Dahomey es una region seca de origen climatico del Holoceno tardio que separa biogeograficamente los Bosques de Guinea Alta y Baja, generando un patron de biodiversidad discontinuo en la costa de Africa Occidental

Conservation

Pendjari and W have been managed since 2017 in partnership with an international foundation, which has strengthened surveillance against poaching and made it possible to reintroduce cheetahs and other species. Regional insecurity is the main risk.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Pendjari between January and May, at the height of the dry season, for lions, elephants and ungulates at the waterholes. Lake Nokoué year-round for waterbirds. Ouidah for the sacred pythons.

Sources: CEPF - Ecosystem Profile Guinean Forests of West Africa | Wikipedia - Guinean forest-savanna mosaic

Savanna