Workshops to formulate further cooperation with the UAC and for further actions towards ecosystem services in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin

From September 23^rd to October 1^st, Luc Janssens de Bisthoven (coordinator of the CEBioS programme) was on a mission to Benin to, among other things, facilitate a series of workshops.

This mission consisted of two distinct components:

• firstly, a two-day workshop at Abomey-Calavi University (UAC), LEA laboratory, under the excellent moderation of Prof. M. Houinatou and Dr. E. Assede (UAC, LEA). The purpose of this workshop was the formulation of the next phase of cooperation according to the theory of change regarding habitat monitoring in the Pendjari National Park and the CHM,

• secondly, two days of workshops in Natitingou with stakeholders on the EVAMAB project, funded by Belspo, with the UAC LABEF laboratory on the evaluation of ecosystem services in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, which is a UNESCO MAB (Man and Biosphere) site. These workshops were held with Prof. Jean Hugé (UHasselt, ULB and co-promoter of EVAMAB) as Belgian partner and thanks to the excellent coordination of Dr. Jean Didier Akpona and Prof. Romain Glèlè Kakaï (UAC, LABEF). The purpose of the workshops was to collectively select management measures with stakeholders for the conservation of ecosystem services in the area. The policy brief "Ecosystem services in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve (Benin)" was presented and distributed.

The presentations given during this workshop are available here. 

Prof. Jean Hugé (UHasselt, ULB), Prof. Marcel Houinatou (UAC) and Luc Janssens de Bisthoven (CEBioS) also visited the Belgian Embassy for a debriefing of CEBioS activities. They were invited to meet the Belgian Ambassador, Dominique Leblanc, as well as Mélanie Schellens, in charge of cooperation.  

Conclusions

• Cooperation on habitat monitoring in the Pendjari with the UAC (LEA) for the period 2019-2023 will be implemented in the coming weeks with a new logical framework. Cooperation will be based on extensive scientific collaboration with African Parks for the Pendjari, and probably also interventions in the W National Park with CENAGREF. The AVIGREFS will be important relays to local communities. The workshop was also an opportunity to distribute the Pendjari lexicons produced under the aegis of CEBioS (Dr. François Muhashy and co-authors) to very enthusiastic stakeholders about this management book.
• The EVAMAB workshop in Natitingou brought together stakeholders using the Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) participatory method to identify the main threats and actions to be taken for 3 ecosystem services previously identified in a Master's degree thesis from Anton De Ryck (KU Leuven): agriculture, tourism and water. This will be complemented by the successful results of two other VUB Master students (Devonne Goad and Iliana Janssens), as well as UAntwerpen students who will come in 2019. Those results will be presented in a policy brief and scientific papers.