Nature in Benin

Benin has five broad natural regions. The south contains a flat sandy coast, lagoons, coconut landscapes, wetlands and mangroves. The central part includes a gently rolling plain at about 200 to 400 metres, cultivated areas, savanna and remaining forest. The Kandi Basin and the Sota area form another natural region, while the Atacora and Mount Aledjo contain rocky landscapes reaching about 658 metres. The Gourma plain lies in the north. Humid savanna dominates the country, although remnants of primary forest remain in the south and centre. The climate and natural processes vary by region. Southern Benin has an equatorial climate with two rainy and two dry seasons. Central and northern areas usually have a rainy season from about June to September and a dry season from November to April. Harmattan winds and dry air affect the country during part of the dry season. Seasonal rainfall shapes river levels, floodplains, pasture, farming conditions, wildfire risk and access to some protected areas. Important natural systems include savannas, dry forests, gallery forests along rivers, floodplains, inselbergs, lakes, lagoons, mangroves and coastal waters. These systems provide fish, water, food, fuelwood, timber, medicinal plants, salt and other non-timber forest products. They also regulate water and shorelines, store carbon, support wildlife and provide income through fishing, livestock, tourism and other local activities. Agriculture, grazing and transhumance, fishing, charcoal and fuelwood production, salt extraction and tourism all depend on natural resources, but their compatibility varies by location and zoning. Benin's protected-area system is fragmented rather than organised as one single nationwide institution. The system includes national parks, classified forests, sacred forests, community forests, terrestrial and marine protected landscapes, hunting zones, biosphere reserves and Ramsar wetlands. Pendjari National Park covers about 275,000 hectares and W National Park in Benin about 502,000 hectares according to the government profile. Together with areas in Burkina Faso and Niger, they form the W-Arly-Pendjari complex, a transnational ecological corridor and UNESCO natural-heritage site. The Pendjari Biosphere Reserve is also recognised by UNESCO and covers about 476,597 hectares. Benin has four Ramsar wetland sites covering about 2,587,342 hectares: the lower Couffo valley, coastal lagoon, Aho channel and Lake Ahémé; the lower Ouémé valley, Porto-Novo lagoon and Lake Nokoué; the W complex; and the Pendjari River wetland zone. Coastal conservation also includes the Donaten and Cotonou marine protected area and the Bouche du Roy and Grand-Popo marine protected area. These areas support mangroves, fish resources, marine turtles, the African manatee, whales, dolphins and other coastal species. Northern protected areas contain elephants, buffalo, West African lions, cheetahs, leopards, hippopotamuses, tsessebes, hartebeests, Buffon's kob and Defassa waterbucks. More than 460 bird species have been recorded in the country. The WAP complex contains a high concentration of threatened wildlife. An African Parks survey reported about 2,800 elephants in Pendjari in 2024 and indicated that the elephant population had increased. Wildlife monitoring uses aerial counts, roughly every two years, telemetry and species and habitat surveys. The Ministry of Living Environment and Transport in charge of Sustainable Development, the Directorate General of Water, Forests and Hunting, the Beninese Agency for the Environment and CENAGREF share major conservation responsibilities. Communes and riverain communities participate in local management, while organisations such as African Parks manage Pendjari and W under delegated arrangements. Access to a park or other protected area follows its park rules, zoning, management plan and current security situation. Guides, hunting, capture, animal keeping and CITES-related trade require the applicable licence, permit or certificate. Integral reserves generally exclude hunting, fishing, forestry, agriculture, grazing, mining, construction and other disruptive activities unless a specific research or access authorisation applies. A community's proximity to an area does not automatically create unrestricted resource rights. Visitor costs are not uniform across Benin. Park entry, guiding, accommodation and other fees depend on the area and service, and a single reliable national tariff does not apply. Pendjari is reported as open to tourism throughout the year, with discounts sometimes offered from August to October. Heavy rainfall during that period can flood tracks and reduce access, while insecurity in the WAP region can change routes, services and availability. The park operator or competent local authority provides the current access conditions. Nature faces different pressures in different parts of Benin. Northern areas experience drought, while seasonal or rainfall-related flooding affects other regions. The coast faces erosion, sea-level rise and salt intrusion; a World Bank assessment estimated that about 65 percent of the coastline is affected and that erosion can approach four metres per year in exposed locations. Wildfires, deforestation, agricultural expansion, soil degradation, sand and rock extraction, plastic and other pollution, illegal resource use, prohibited fishing gear, overfishing and mangrove loss also affect ecosystems. The WAP region experiences conflicts when wildlife damages crops or livestock. Other tensions arise around agricultural expansion, transhumance, fishing, wood and non-timber forest products, conservation restrictions, park access and security measures. Responses include local consultation, zoning, alternative incomes, community management, restoration, monitoring, ranger patrols and human-rights training. African Parks reports compensation arrangements for affected people in relevant cases. Environmental complaints can be submitted to the Beninese Agency for the Environment, the competent departmental directorate or, for coastal matters, the relevant coastal protection body; the environmental agency can preserve the complainant's anonymity. Benin is expanding environmental education through school clubs, school planting, forest ambassadors, nurseries and reforestation activities. A 2024 programme involving the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme and the Directorate General of Water, Forests and Hunting planted 200 trees and involved 15 forest ambassadors aged 10 to 15. In 2025, the education authorities reported a more systematic integration of environmental education through clubs, teachers and learners. Smartphone-based observations, including iNaturalist activities around Pendjari, can complement formal monitoring and research. Forest trends show both continuing pressure and restoration activity. Reported net deforestation fell from 1.51 percent in 2005 to 2015 to 1.13 percent in 2015 to 2022, while net degradation fell from 1.64 percent to 0.06 percent over the same comparison periods. Reforestation reached 13,135 hectares in 2023, against a national target of 15,000 hectares per year for 2021 to 2030. These figures do not remove local risks, because the relevance of conservation, resource access and environmental pressure differs sharply between the WAP region, the southern wetlands and coast, and the forest and savanna landscapes of central Benin.