About this site
Providing tropical forest news, statistics, photos, and information, rainforests.mongabay.com is the world's most popular rainforest site. [more]
Weekly Newsletter
Mongabay will never distribute your email address or send spam.
Share
BENIN
Benin Forest Figures
Forest CoverTotal forest area: 2,351,000 ha % of land area: 21.3%
Primary forest cover: n/a % of land area: n/a % total forest area: n/a
Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005Annual change in forest cover: -64,800 ha Annual deforestation rate: -2.5% Change in defor. rate since '90s: 24.4% Total forest loss since 1990: -971,000 ha Total forest loss since 1990:-29.2%
Primary or "Old-growth" forests Annual loss of primary forests: n/a Annual deforestation rate: n/a Change in deforestation rate since '90s: n/a Primary forest loss since 1990: n/a Primary forest loss since 1990:n/a
Forest ClassificationPublic: n/a Private: n/a Other: n/a Use Production: n/a Protection: n/a Conservation: n/a Social services: n/a Multiple purpose: n/a None or unknown: n/a
Forest Area BreakdownTotal area: 2,351,000 ha Primary: n/a Modified natural: 2,237,000 ha Semi-natural: n/a Production plantation: 114,000 ha Production plantation: n/a
PlantationsPlantations, 2005: 114,000 ha % of total forest cover: 4.8% Annual change rate (00-05): 1,000,000 ha
Carbon storageAbove-ground biomass: n/a M t Below-ground biomass: n/a M t
Area annually affected byFire: n/a Insects: n/a Diseases: n/a
Number of tree species in IUCN red listNumber of native tree species: n/a Critically endangered: 0 Endangered: 0 Vulnerable: 14
Benin's economy is largely undeveloped and relies on subsistence agriculture and regional trade. An exploding population (3.3 percent population growth) is putting pressure on forests for fuelwood, agricultural clearing, pasture lands, and housing. Deforestation has led to extensive siltation of Benin's waterways, hindering boat traffic and further damaging the economy, of which over 30 percent is made up of transport activities. Heavy poaching has depleted wildlife.
According to FAO figures, Benin has no undisturbed primary forest and has lost 29 percent of its forest cover since 1990. At 2.5 percent, Benin has one of the highest annual deforestation rates in the world.
On paper, more than 22 percent of the country is protected, although the effectiveness of this protection is unclear.
Photos: Rarest cheetah photographed for the first time
(02/23/2009) With only 250 individuals left the Saharan Cheetah is on the brink of extinction. Little-studied, this imperiled subspecies has been photographed for the fist time by scientists from by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Office du Parc National de l’Ahaggar (OPNA) using camera traps. “The Saharan cheetah is critically endangered, yet virtually nothing is known about the population, so this new evidence, and the ongoing research work, is hugely significant,” said Dr Sarah Durant, a Senior Research Fellow with ZSL.
