TITLE:
Factors of Degradation and Conservation Strategies for Sacred Forests of Ramsar Sites 1017 and 1018 in Benin
AUTHORS:
Achille Orphée Lokossou, Codjo Gaston Ouikoun, Bruno Enagnon Lokonon, Orou Daouda Bello, Julien Gaudence Mahutin Djego
KEYWORDS:
Degradation, Conservation, Sacred Forests, Ramsar Site, Benin
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.16 No.2,
March
6,
2026
ABSTRACT: Sacred sites (forests, lakes, mountains, etc.) play an important role in the sustainable use of natural resources and in particular the conservation of biodiversity. As such, in recent years they have been subject to threats related to land pressure, uncontrolled cutting of firewood, overexploitation of resources and multifaceted human pressures. The objective of this study was to determine the potential sources of degradation of sacred forests as well as conservation strategies for these forests. The study was conducted in 15 municipalities in southern Benin spread across the 1017 and 1018 Ramsar sites. The choice of these municipalities was based on the presence of sacred forests (SF) and the efforts made to protect these SF and strengthen the resilience of the environments while improving the living conditions of local communities. Thus, 42 sacred forests were visited and 148 people with direct contact with these SF were interviewed across the two Ramsar sites. The questions focused on 1) the factors responsible for the degradation of SF and the respondents’ perceptions of these factors, 2) the local strategies developed to combat the degradation of SF. The results indicate that the main factors contributing to the degradation of SF include illegal deforestation (25%), pollution (19.59%), increasing urbanization, poaching and especially agriculture. The CA showed that adults perceive shifting agriculture, increasing urbanization and pollution as the main factors of degradation while the elderly perceive more poaching and conflicts of use. The main strategies contributing to the conservation of SF include the presence of deities (25%), the installation of fetishes (20.27%) and the prohibition of entry (20.27%), protection rituals and tree planting (18%). The Correspondence Analysis (CA) showed that adults mainly perceived the prohibition of entry into the SF, the installation of fetishes and the planting of trees as the main strategies for the conservation of sacred forests, while the elderly perceived the presence of deities and protection rituals as strategies for the conservation of SF. In the immediate future, there is a need to raise awareness among local populations about the consequences of pressure factors on the conservation of sacred forests and the need to safeguard them.