How far are mangrove ecosystems in Benin (West Africa) conserved by the Ramsar Convention?

Abstract

Mangroves around the world provide humanity with a variety of ecosystem services. However, rising populations coupled with human activities jeopardize the sustainable management of these ecosystems. Climate change is also expected to have a severe impact on mangrove ecosystems, especially in Benin, West Africa. Since 2000, several initiatives for the conservation of mangroves have been established under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Land use/land cover (LULC) changes were used at Ramsar Site 1017 in Benin for periods in 1995, 2005 and 2015 to assess the impact of the Ramsar Convention on mangrove ecosystem conservation. The observed changes during 1995–2005 and 2005–2015 were considered to predict LULC change towards 2070 using the Markov chain model. During 1995–2005, a total area of 3.43 ha of mangroves was degraded, while during the 2005–2015 period 2.65 ha were restored. Future scenarios predicted that the area of mangroves was expected to decrease by more than half between 1995 and 2070, assuming the dynamic of 1995–2005, and increase by 1.1% of the 2005 area by 2070 with the dynamic of 2005–2015. Implementation of conservation policies, projects and awareness-raising activities could contribute to the effective restoration of the mangrove ecosystems.