Forest Policy and Economics 13 (2011) 554–562 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Policy and Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/forpol Valuation of local preferred uses and traditional ecological knowledge in relation to three multipurpose tree species in Benin (West Africa) Thierry D. Houehanou ⁎, Achille E. Assogbadjo, Romain Glele Kakaï, Marcel Houinato, Brice Sinsin Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Science, University of Abomey Calavi, 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Benin article info abstract Article history: Afzelia africana Sm., Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. and Khaya senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss are multipurpose trees widely Received 21 July 2010 used in Africa, but endangered in their natural environments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to define and Received in revised form 30 April 2011 promote conservation strategies for these key species. In this study we analyzed the current patterns of their use Accepted 23 May 2011 preferences by means of a cultural importance index. Local ecological knowledge on their conservation was Available online 7 July 2011 investigated among local people living around Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin. In total, 160 informants belonging to four ethnic groups (Gourmantche, Waama, Berba and Peulh) were interviewed in twelve villages. Male Keywords: Afzelia africana and female informants, aged between 20 and 90 years, were randomly selected in each ethnic group. For each Pterocarpus erinaceus species, a cultural importance index was calculated combining frequency and importance of use. This index allowed Khaya senegalensis us to identify differences in use intensity within and among ethnic groups. Traditional ecological knowledge was Quantitative ethnobotany tested as a dependent variable of ethnicity. A. africana waswidelyusedasmedicine,fodderandcraftingbymost Traditional knowledge communities, whereas P. erinaceus was the preferred source of fodder for all local people. K. senegalensis was mostly Conservation used as medicine and fuel wood by most communities, except by the Peulh who preferably used it as fodder. The use of these trees as source of fuel wood was mostly reported by women while religious uses of these species were reported by old men from the Gourmantche ethnicity. Medicinal and fodder use of A. africana, fodder use of P. erinaceus and medicinal use of K. senegalensis had the highest overall cultural importance index value. Knowledge related to local extinction of the target species and their sustainable use varied among socio-cultural groups. The findings of the present study should be considered in future management plans towards an effective conservation of thesetreespecies. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Lykke, 1998; Hahn-Hadjali and Thiombiano, 2000). As a consequence, these species should have priority for biodiversity conservation. To date, many people depend on wild plants for their livelihoods in Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing appropriate manage- Africa (Lykke, 2000; Obiri et al., 2002; Lykke et al., 2004; Assogbadjo et al., ment strategies. Several methods such as population genetics, structure 2008). In West Africa, wild or indigenous plant species are still widely and dynamics and ethnobotany are commonly combined to develop and/ used and many of them are endangered due to various human activities or define sustainable conservation strategies for plant species. such as logging, cutting and land clearing. An increasing intensity of these Ethnobotany has become a complementary tool for management activities in combination with drought induces a decreasing availability of and conservation strategies of vegetation resources in tropical regions grass and trees in savanna ecosystems in West Africa (Scoones, 1995). (Albuquerque et al., 2009). Some ethnobotanical studies have highlight- The tree species Afzelia africana Sm. (Leguminosae–Caesalpiniodeae), ed the need to integrate the perspective of traditional knowledge into Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. (Leguminosae–Papilionoideae) and Khaya ecological research (Lykke, 2000; Albuquerque et al., 2009). Addition- senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss (Meliaceae) are well known for their ally, several authors reported increasing efforts to describe traditional multipurpose uses in the traditional livestock systems in West Africa ecological knowledge (Donovan and Puri, 2004; López-Hoffman et al., (Bayer, 1990; Petit, 2000) and experience a continuously degradation in 2006; Gaoue and Ticktin, 2009). In fact, integrating local people's their natural habitat. These three species are used as medicine, fuel and perception in management strategies is important to guarantee local fodder (Eyog-Matig et al., 2002; Gautier et al., 2005; Ouédraogo-Koné acceptance of the management plans of natural resources. Therefore, the et al., 2006). These uses are expressing high pressure on their populations, documentation of ecological knowledge and the perception local people which in turn are declining throughout West Africa (Adomou et al., 2009; have on the target species is an important issue to be addressed. Moreover, the number of ethnobotanical studies using quantitative methods increased over the last decades and some introduced quanti- ⁎ Corresponding author. tative indices to analyze the relative cultural importance of plant species. E-mail address: [email protected] (T.D. Houehanou). For example, Phillips and Gentry (1993) developed a use-value index, 1389-9341/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2011.05.013 T.D. Houehanou et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 13 (2011) 554–562 555 defined as the proportion of uses of plant species within a sample of widespread from Senegal to Uganda and Sudan; it is found in savanna, interviewed people and this is calculated directly from the number of dry and gallery forests and grows up to 35 m height (Arbonnier, 2000). informants mentioning a certain species during free-listing interviews (Lykke et al., 2004; Camou-Guerrero et al., 2008).Other indices were 2.2. Study area developed depending on the research objectives (Camou-Guerrero et al., 2008; Hoffman and Gallaher, 2007). For instance, use-value index helps to This study was conducted in 12 villages surrounding the Pendjari identify plant species with multipurpose uses which are locally Biosphere Reserve (10°30′–11°30′N and 0°50′–2°00′E) (Fig. 1). The considered of high importance in different use-categories, such as population of the localities surrounding the Reserve is estimated at construction, food, medicine, firewood, crafts, rituals, coloring agent, 30,000 inhabitants distributed in 20 villages, with an average density and others (Phillips and Gentry, 1993; Vandebroek, 2010). Although the of 13 inhabitants/km². The Reserve is located in the Sudanian zone of relative importance of each use among multiple uses of target tree species Benin (West Africa) and its vegetation is dominated by forest, is seldom assessed, doing so would be helpful for better analyzing the woodland, tree and shrub savannas. The climate is of the Sudanian impact of human pressure on plant populations and understanding the type, characterized by a unimodal rainfall pattern with a seven-month dynamics of tree species populations. dry period and annual rainfall of 900–1000 mm (Adomou, 2005). The In addition, social factors such as ethnicity, age and gender affect soil is ferruginous and the mean annual temperature is 27 °C. Local traditional knowledge and determine the choice of useful plant people living around the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve are among the species (Luoga et al., 2000; Camou-Guerrero et al., 2008; Müller- poorest people in Benin (Martin, 2000; CENAGREF, 2005) and wild Schwarze, 2006; Chadare et al., 2008). Among these factors, age and plants are indispensable for their daily life. Among these people, the gender have been documented to determine intracultural variation Berba (65%), the Gourmantche (23%) and the Waama (7%) are the (Camou-Guerrero et al., 2008; Müller-Schwarze, 2006). Indeed, dominant ethnic groups (CENAGREF, 2005). The Berba are established preferences for useful plant species and general interest for forest along the Tanguieta–Porga axis while the Gourmantche and the resources can differ among men and women and are due to the Waama are settled in some villages located along the Tanguieta–Batia division of labor which is gender-associated in traditional societies axis (Fig. 1). Besides these ethnic groups, there are sedentary Peulh (Camou-Guerrero et al., 2008; Müller-Schwarze, 2006; Vodouhê et al., who live in interaction with the other groups. The main activities of 2009). Moreover, elderly men and women proved to have more local people are agriculture (Berba, Gourmantche and Waama) and traditional knowledge than younger ones (Luoga et al., 2000; Begossi livestock keeping (Peulh). In addition, the Peulh cultivate also some et al., 2002; Case et al., 2005; Gemedo-Dalle et al., 2005; Müller- crops, whereas the Berba, the Gourmantche and the Waama keep Schwarze, 2006). Thus, it is important to take these variations into often a small herd of cattle for agricultural activities. Since the consideration when conducting ethnobotanical surveys. Based on the designation of this “protected area” (in 1954), exploitable land for findings from literature, we hypothesized that intercultural and agriculture has been significantly reduced, and this combined with intracultural differences will influence the use preference of