Benin

Cooperation with the UAC

The institutional cooperation with the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) Cotonou, Bénin, started in 2014, after an identification mission that took place in 2013. The programme was formulated in April 2014 in a participative workshop involving RBINS, UAC and CENAGREF and AVIGREF as stakeholders.

The main objective of the cooperation with UAC is to facilitate the link between scientific research and sustainable management of the 'Parc National de la Pendjari' in Northern Benin. The link consists of information flow and dissemination (close cooperation with the CHM national focal point ), awareness raising, scientific research on fire management and pastoralism, the production of tools to facilitate habitat monitoring and decision making for the management of the parc and capacity building of scientists, managers and rangers.

Expected outcome: UAC will be better able at delivering relavant scientific information on temporal and spatial occurrence and management of bush fire and pastoralism in protected areas around Penjari National Park to stakeholders, such as African Parks, CENAGREF and partners (associations de villageois). This will enable to better monitor the dynamics of habitats in its protected areas and buffer zones (Pendjari, W National Park), both at the implementation level (rangers using tools), as at the management level (reporting, analysing trends and deciding on specific management and conservation interventions, policy briefs). The conflict between nature conservation and pastoralism is better understood and appropriate actions are undertaken to ease this tension for the benefit of the people and the wildlife. The dynamic cycle of fire is better understood in order to take appropriate actions to control it more optimally for the benefit of people, wildlife and biodiversity in general.

Cooperation with IRHOB