People and Forests: a case study from Benin, West Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate how sacred forests in Benin, West Africa, contribute to forest conservation. Local use of natural resources is well-practiced in maintaining wooded space; the same use of those resources allows for modifications in the landscape as the community requires through ritual processes. Sacred groves and the biodiversity they harbor expand and contract in relation to communication between the people and spiritual entities. The framework employed contextualizes the case study of sacred forests in Athiémé, Bénin, from experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the social, geologic, historic, and religious aspects of the society. This position allows for further exploration in the field of forestry on themes of patch dynamics and source-sinks, and sacred groves' roles in biodiversity of non-government regulated lands.