Dassou Gbewonmedea Hospice
Other projects
7 Nov 2016
Assessing Ecological Status, Threats and Conservation of Ipomoea beninensis, an Endemic Plant Species in Benin
26 Mar 2018
Reproductive Ecology and the Persistence of Ipomoea beninensis, an Endemic Plant Species in Benin
3 Jun 2020
Creating a Seedbank to Enhance the Ex-Situ Conservation of Endemic and Threatened Plant Species at the Botanical and Zoological Garden E. Adjanohoun in Benin
Nature protection become a major challenge for all countries since the signature of the Convention on Biological Diversity. For Benin, it is the need to preserve rainforest relics of southern-Benin (RFSB) has been described as the priority because they act as refuge for most of the globally/nationally threatened plant species occurring in the country (Neuenschwander et al. 2011). If their worrying conservation status was reported (Adomou et al. 2010), few actual conservation actions were implemented to inverse the trend apart from the rehabilitation of Drabo and intensive seed collection, their multiplication and their banking supported by Rufford Small Grants Foundation. This 2nd Booster project intends to contribute to the Bonn Challenge (http://www.bonnchallenge.org) and to strengthen these efforts by gathering all actors (RSG grantees, scientists, Forest department, NGOs, local Leaders and traditional healers) for the implementation of the national conservation action plan in the favour of the RFSB and of threatened and narrow distribution species.
Lama Forest (Southern-Benin).
This plan proposes to: (i) assess the current geographic range and the patterns of flowering and fruiting of 12 globally/nationally threatened plant species (different of those involved in the last RSG but with high socioeconomic interests for the local people); (ii) model and predict the suitable habitat for conservation effectiveness, (iii) assess the desiccation tolerance of seeds in order to strengthen the seedbank; (iv) set up a permanent nursery as well for 12 species as for 18 involved in our 1st Booster Grant in order to supply seedlings during the Official Days of the Tree (ODT) in Benin; (v) enrich 10 RFSB during the next ODT; (vi) set up sensitization actions (ethnobotanical enquiries, action plan for sustainable uses and extraction, oral communication and restitution, pamphlets, poster and pedagogic tools) to protect the critical relics waiting to develop next years the generating activities of income like beekeeping.