science

Wildlife of Benin

Wildlife of Benin is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wildlife of Benin rather than just read about it. In short: Benin has varied resources of wildlife comprising flora and fauna, which are primarily protected in its two contiguous protected areas of the Pendjari National Park and W National Park. The former is known for many species of avifauna and the latter park is rich in mammals and predators.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Benin has varied resources of wildlife comprising flora and fauna, which are primarily protected in its two contiguous protected areas of the Pendjari National Park and W National Park. The former is known for many species of avifauna and the latter park is rich in mammals and predators. In addition, many other forest reserves are noted in the country but are not easily accessible, well protected or adequately surveyed for its wildlife resources. The protected area of Benin which is defined as a National Protected Area System is in northern Benin, mostly with a woody savanna ecosystem. It covers 10.3% of the nation and is part of the three-nation W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (WAP) (of which 43%, 36% and 21% is in Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger respectively). Forests of particular note are the riparian forests which form a dominant ecosystem, accounting for one-third of the estimated flora of 3,000 species in Benin. These forests are found along river banks consisting of semi-deciduous, dry, and open forest and woodland savanna. However, these systems have been subject to severe misuse by way of deforestation, which necessitated the enforcement of a law restricting cutting of these forests. In south Benin, where malaria is a common disease as in the rest of Africa, medicinal plants are used for treatment as a form of traditional or alternative medicine.

National parks

W National Park

W National Park, IUCN Management Category II, a transboundary park among Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso, as a part of the Niger River, encompasses an area of 563,280 hectares (1,391,900 acres) in Benin. The "W" is after the W-shaped bends in the Niger River that borders the park and which is fed by the Tapoa River in the north, and the Mékrou River in the south. Its elevation is between 170 and 338 metres (558 and 1,109 ft). In addition, the buffer zones are the hunting zones of Mékrou, 102,640 hectares (253,600 acres), Djona, 115,200 hectares (285,000 acres) and Kompa, 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres), apart from transition areas in a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) zone. This area in the West African savanna belt covers terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic ecosystems. Primarily of semi-arid to semi-humid Sudanese wooded savanna, 500 plant species have been identified. Sudanian savanna fauna consists of 70 diurnal mammals and more than 112 species of fish including the monkfish and sawback angelshark. The park has about 200,000 people living within it and on its periphery, which creates conflicts between park managers, herders and farmers.

Pendjari National Park

The Pendjari National Park covers 275,500 hectares (681,000 acres) of the far north-west of Benin. Its buffer zones are the Pendjari (348,000 ha) that incorporates the hunting zones of Pendjari-Porga (76,000 ha), Batia (75,500 ha) and Konkombri (25,900 ha). Initially known as a forest reserve, it was declared a national park on May 6, 1961, after the independence of Benin. In June 1986, it was classified as a MAB Biosphere Reserve (including the adjoining hunting zones of Pendjari and Atacora). The Pendjari River Valley was recognized as a wetland of international importance and designated as a Ramsar site in February 2007. The park is part of the W-Arli-Pendjari complex (WAP), a vast protected area in Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. The hills and cliffs of the Atakora range make the northwest one of the most scenic areas of Benin. They provide a wonderful backdrop to the Pendjari National Park, which, in its isolation, remains one of the most interesting in West Africa.

Riparian forests

Riparian forests in Benin are important conservation sites that need more care than is currently available. These forests, which are flood-dependent and the flora that is dependent on this source of water, are seen in many parts of Benin. In addition, forest and savanna species are also part of this ecosystem as they have a combination of plants from various forest and savanna types. Hence, riparian forests are more diverse than those of the single one-ecosystem-based vegetation. They also provide food for many animals and other forest species for survival. The riparian forests ecosystem is in a limited area and spread in a linear shape. The forests account for at least one-third of the estimated 3,000 species of flora of Benin, with several valuable, rare or even endemic species. These forests are woodlands of semi-deciduous, dry, and open forest, and woodland savanna that occur along riverbanks or streams. The physiognomy of this type of forest is highly variable with trees of average height of 14–18 metres (46–59 ft) and some places as high as 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) with dense understorey (undergrowth). Adjacent ecosystems also affect the vegetation in these forests. However, this ecosystem of hydrophilic and edaphic freshwater forest is of general structural complexity and extent. It was in a state of extinction due to "shifting cultivation, grazing, selective cutting of valuable or rare tree species, roads and dams construction, and over-exploitation of non-timber forest products" to meet the basic needs of rural communities. These practices resulted in the degradation of the ecosystem of rare plants and animals. It reached a critical stage where indigenous multilayered plant communities became extinct in several areas with the resultant creation of open fields, shrubs or savannas of least value. Thus, the degradation of the ecologically rich system necessitated intervention at the Government level through enabling legislation to stop further damage to the ecosystem. The government of the Republic of Benin enacted a forest law (no. 93-009) in July 1993, under which the uniqueness of riparian forests as refuge ecosystem for plants and wildlife of many kinds was duly recognized. The enacted law stated that "clearance of wood and shrubs is not allowed within 25 metres (82 ft) at both sides of any waterway (article 28). Moreover, in the management plans of most forest reserves in Benin, gallery forests are to be left uncut..." Rare species (e.g. mahogany family species of the Khaya genus; the Moraceae species, Milicia excelsa) outside the gallery forests will not be cut either." Despite such legislation, enforcement is not effective. It is reported that uncontrolled illegal utilisation of forest resources continue, particularly in non-protected areas.

Fauna

Mammals

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wildlife of Benin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wildlife of Benin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wildlife of Benin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wildlife of Benin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wildlife of Benin

In research: Wildlife of Benin appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wildlife of Benin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wildlife of Benin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biota of Benin, Wildlife by country, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wildlife of Benin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wildlife of Benin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wildlife of Benin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wildlife of Benin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wildlife of Benin in simple terms?

Why does Wildlife of Benin matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wildlife of Benin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wildlife of Benin.