Abstract

Although they are damped by cultural and religious protection, heavy pressures are deteriorating Benin's sacred forests due to demographic and socioeconomic pressures which keep growing. That is why it is urgent to develop conservation strategies which will take into account the real needs of the concerned communities. This project will aim to catalog and characterize (typology, space distribution and deterioration) Benin's sacred forests. During a first 18 months phase, wich will be followed by a second phase, researchers will develop a comprehensive protection strategy based on related local realities. A grant will be made to the Benin National University for the first phase of this program. The outcome of this project might be used by Benin's neighbouring countries which have the same problems.

Post-Project Summary

The researchers made a complete inventory of the sacred forests in Benin. They listed 2 940 sacred forests covering a total of 18 360 hectares, or around 0.2% of the total area of the country. Small sacred forests (area up to1 ha) represent almost 70% of the total number while another 18% have an area of between 1 and 5 ha. However, there are some large sacred forests, such as Igbo doléo (1 600 ha), Adjougni (1 200 ha), Ekpasso (800 ha), Igbo lakou (600 ha) and Félia (600 ha) in the department of Zou, as well as Adakplamé (450 ha) in the department of Ouémé. The sacred forests have been grouped together according to their function, either into fetish forests (59.6%), secret society forests (20.8%), community forests (9.8%) and cemetery forests (8.33%). According to local inhabitants, the forests fulfill an ecological function (protection of water sources, protection against soil erosion, habitat for animals), a socio-cultural function (cemetery, locations for initiation, blessing and cursing), a religious function (providing shelter for deities) or an economic function (gathering dead wood, medicinal plants or food plants). In addition to traditional customs that protect sacred forests, those guilty of improper use of them are subject to penalties that vary in accordance with the seriousness of the infraction. These penalties may run from a simple warning, to bewitchment and even death. In certain cases, the offender is ordered to pay a fine (cattle, lamb, chickens, fish, etc.). Generally, there are links between the sacred forest and the history of the village to which it belongs (refuge or cemetery of the founder, refuge for the community, hunting grounds, etc.). Villages often bear the names of sacred forests. Threats to the forests are primarily of human origin: expansion of cultivated fields, dwellings, illegal exploitation of valuable trees, brush fires, new religions. Between 1972 and 1990, sacred forests were subject to serious attack in the name of the fight against witchcraft launched by the Marxist/Leninist revolution. Once initial suspicion subsided, the inhabitants were enthused by the fact that for once researchers were interested in endogenous practices of natural resource conservation. The researchers showed respect for the ancestral cultural values of the inhabitants, to the point of agreeing to submit to certain initiation rights, and reported the research results back to the inhabitants while the project was underway and at its end. The team was able to benefit from exchanges with colleagues in Côte d'Ivoire (002982/95-8171 and 100314). However, due to difficulties of an administrative nature, the planned final phase did not take place.

Recipient Institution(s)