TITLE:
Measuring the Total Economic Value of Traditional Sand Dredging in the Coastal Lagoon Complex of Grand-Nokoué (Benin)
AUTHORS:
Metogbe B. Djihouessi, Martin P. Aina, Ben-Vital Kpanou, Nadine Kpondjo
KEYWORDS:
Traditional Sand Dredging, Ecosystem Service, Coastal Lake
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.8 No.13,
December
21,
2017
ABSTRACT: Sand is a crucial resource for society’s development. Among the most exploited
sand quarries in the world are the lagoon and wetland sand. Although
mechanical sand dredging is the most spread technique, manual and traditional
techniques are still widely used in West Africa. The purpose of this paper
is twofold: to describe traditional sand dredging (TSD), highlighting the
procedure used and the structural organization of this activity, and to evaluate
the total economic value of TSD in order to help decision making about wetland
management. Therefore, TSD occurring in the coastal lagoon complex of
Grand Nokoué (CLCGN) in Benin was investigated. Field surveys indicate
that TSD is mainly dominated by men, about 93% of the actors. It required
intense physical efforts including diving to the bottom of the lake and removing
manually the sand in backed toward the surface of the water. TSD actors
are organized in local associations which deliver extraction license and discuss
with both the others actors and the local government. The total economic
value of the benefits of TSD to the population, estimated using direct market
value and replacement cost, was estimated at 2.44 million USD per year for
127,818 m3 of sand extracted. It is clear that introduction of mechanical sand
dredging will increase the amount the sand removed and subsequently will
increase some benefits such as reduction of flooding amplitude and mitigation
of the filling of the lakes. However, mechanical sand removal will also considerably
reduce the profit the local population makes from sand commercialization
which currently represents 80% the total economic value of TSD.