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Empowered lives. Resilient nations. THE COMMUNITY NATURE RESERVE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (REDERC) Benin Equator Initiative Case Studies Local sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that work for people and for nature. Few publications or case studies tell the full story of how such initiatives evolve, the breadth of their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practitioners themselves guiding the narrative. To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to fill this gap. The following case study is one in a growing series that details the work of Equator Prize winners – vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local success to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models for replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reference to ‘The Power of Local Action: Lessons from 10 Years of the Equator Prize’, a compendium of lessons learned and policy guidance that draws from the case material. Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiative’s searchable case study database. Editors Editor-in-Chief: Joseph Corcoran Managing Editor: Oliver Hughes Contributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding Contributing Writers Edayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughes, Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma, Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu Design Oliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis Acknowledgements The Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Community Nature Reserve Development Network (REDERC), and in particular the guidance and inputs of Gnanando Saidou. All photo credits courtesy of REDERC. Maps courtesy of CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia. Suggested Citation United Nations Development Programme. 2012. The Community Nature Reserve Development Network (REDERC), Benin. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, NY. THE COMMUNITY NATURE RESERVE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (REDERC) Benin PROJECT SUMMARY KEY FACTS The Community Nature Reserve Development Network (REDERC) originated in the community of Papatia, which EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2010 established the Botanical Garden of Papatia in response to rapid depletion of local natural resources. The organization FOUNDED: 2008 unites traditional healers, beekeepers, farmers, women’s groups, and students, from different ethnic groups, to LOCATION: Atakora department, Benin protect the region’s biodiversity and natural resources as the basis of sustainable development. BENEFICIARIES: 20,000 local residents Activities focus on creating community and school BIODIVERSITY: Pendjari National Park protected area, over 20 of which have been established to date. Additionally, the network provides environmental education, and documentation and commercialisation strategies for traditional medicines and related knowledge. The network has developed new, sustainable sources of income including ecotourism, apiculture, and sale of local plants and herbs. A literary and professional learning centre for girls serves as a model for other initiatives in the village. TABLE OF CONTENTS Background and Context 4 Key Activities and Innovations 6 Biodiversity Impacts 8 Socioeconomic Impacts 9 Policy Impacts 10 Sustainability 11 Replication 11 Partners 12 3 Background and Context The Atakora department, in northwestern Benin, is home to Pendjari annual wildfires further weakening woody vegetation, and natural National Park, one of the most important protected areas in Benin forests becoming scarce, biodiversity is increasingly under threat. in terms of wildlife prevalence. The park’s fauna includes elephants, Many plant species, especially those used heavily by the popula- monkeys, lions, hippopotamuses, buffalo, antelopes and a variety of tion, are becoming rare or disappearing altogether. This progressive bird species. The mountainous landscape is dominated by woody sa- degradation of the environment has resulted in a serious depletion vannas and riparian forests. of the region’s endemic flora in particular. In the late 1990s, several local healers of the village of Papatia village observed that certain Because of its remote location, infrastructure in Atakora lags behind medicinal species of great importance were becoming rare. As these that of southern areas of the country in terms of roads, communi- healers had to walk further and further to find the plants they need- cation networks, and healthcare and education services. Although ed, local knowledge regarding traditional medicine was also threat- primary school is free in Atakora, few children reach seventh grade ened. due to the prohibitive cost of secondary education. The cost of living tends to be higher in the northwest than in other regions, and the Papatia Botanical Garden vast majority of the population lives in rural communities. Tradition- ally, the people of northwestern Benin have depended on subsis- In order to remedy these environmental, livelihood and cultural tence agriculture and livestock to meet their daily needs. However, challenges, the Botanical Garden of Papatia was established in 2001 this lifestyle is increasingly threatened by environmental degrada- by a joint initiative of the people of Papatia Village, University of tion. Frankfurt, and several other organizations working in the fields of sustainable development and environmental protection. The issues Threats to local biodiversity involved were serious enough to inspire community members of all ages, ethnic groups and professions to come together in support of With the human population of the area rapidly growing, land use a common cause, with traditional healers leading the establishment has intensified in recent decades. Greater numbers of livestock graze of the protected area. The aim of the garden was to address natu- a limited supply of pasture, and the rate of firewood consumption is ral resource exploitation with an emphasis on indigenous species of increasing. The most severe impact on the environment, however, flora. has come from the extension of agricultural production. Farmers have extended cultivated areas into natural forests, have begun rely- Papatia Botanical Garden was the first community-managed pro- ing on more intensive farming methods (especially for cash crops tected area in the north of Benin and quickly became a project of such as cotton and maize which are increasingly popular) and have which the entire community was proud. The Botanical Garden be- shortened the fallow period. These behaviors have had a negative gan with a field of 16 hectares that was transferred to community impact on the sustainability of agriculture in the area as the reduc- ownership by the local king (a traditional, local authority above the tion in fallow periods prevents full recovery of soil and vegetation. village chief) and has grown to 28 hectares today, as farmers who owned the surrounding territory willingly donated tracts of land Virtually no uncultivated areas remain in Atakora, even in places that over the years. Beginning in 2001, the territory was fully protected are far from villages. Increased grazing and pruning of fodder trees from all external influences, such as fire, logging, grazing and hunt- is dramatically altering the region’s vegetation composition. With ing, allowing nature to regenerate freely. Today, the garden contains 4 over 130 woody species and hundreds of herbaceous species that as a basis for sustainable development. As well as creating new com- are available to the community for sustainable collection to be used munity reserves areas modeled on the Papatia Botanical Garden, RE- in traditional medicine. DERC’s activities focus on promoting environmental education and improving marketing strategies for traditional medicines and plants. The success of the Botanical Garden quickly spurred several addi- The group has successfully developed new and sustainable sources tional social initiatives, including a literacy and vocational center for of income for the community, including ecotourism, apiculture and young girls. With the experience and expertise acquired since the the sale of local plants and herbs. creation of the Botanical Garden, some community members felt a desire to become active beyond the borders of their village and Since expanding its outreach efforts, REDERC has been successful in share knowledge with other neighboring communities, several of protecting biodiversity in the vicinity of the village and ensuring the which had approached the garden’s management committee seek- availability of plants for use in traditional medicine. To date, REDERC ing advice in the creation of their own protected areas. With this in has supported the establishment of 24 community nature reserves in aim in mind, The Community Nature Reserve Development Network four municipalities. Local awareness of the importance of traditional (Réseau de