TITLE:
Diversity and Importance of Benin’s Forests and Agroforestry Systems Woody Species in Mortars and Pestles Manufacture
AUTHORS:
Menson Richard Somanin, Baba Kayodé Eben-Ezer Ewedje, Akossibe Ismaël Batcho, Ezin Paul Ogan, Augustin Orou Matilo, Cossi Aristide Adomou, Hounnakpon Yedomonhan
KEYWORDS:
Agroforestry Systems, Benin, Diversity, Forest, Mortars and Pestles, Uses, Woody Species
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.13 No.1,
December
13,
2022
ABSTRACT: The disappearance of resources with high genetic potential and great
utility for people and the challenge of the conservation and sustainable
management of these resources are two opposing facts of which the world is now
concerned. In Benin, forests and agroforestry systems complement each other in
wood supply for mortar and pestle manufacture. Thus, this study aimed to
investigate the diversity of woody species used for mortar and pestle manufacture
and to analyze the preferences of manufacturers through an ethnobotanical
approach. Based on the snowball sampling method, and interviews with 112
manufacturers from different ethnic groups, we identified 31 tree species.
These species belong to 30 genera and 13 plant families. The Fabaceae are more
represented with 14 species (i.e. 45% of the total). Ten are frequently used.
But there are four species, such as Vitellaria
paradoxa C. F. Gaertn., Prosopis
africana (Guill. & Perr.) Taub., Terminalia
glaucescens Planch. ex Benth. and Pericopsis
laxiflora (Benth.) Meeuwen, which are highly preferred by manufacturers
respectively. The calculation of the Indexes of Possession of Global Knowledge
(IPSG) revealed that the ethnic group Nagot (0.204) possessed more knowledge
and is followed by Mahi (0.201)
and Fon (0.18) respectively. Forests and agroforestry systems are both supply
sites for manufacturers. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test proved that there are
no significant differences between the species’ preference for mortars or pestles manufacture (v = 181, p-value = 0.38). Since the trees
cutting in agroforestry systems can be destructive to them, provisions such as
the promotion of agroforestry in rural areas and the integration of the used
species in the reforestations programs must be taken to curb the pressure and
contribute to the conservation of the biodiversity.