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Fulani Knowledge of the Ecological Impacts of Khaya senegalensis (Meliaceae) Foliage Harvest in Benin and its Implications for Sustainable Harvest

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Fulani Knowledge of the Ecological Impacts ofKhaya senegalensis(Meliaceae) Foliage Harvest in Benin and Its Implications for Sustainable Harvest. An improved understanding of how local people view their impacts on the resources they exploit and how they perceive that their resources are affected by other factors can provide insight into reasons some resources are overexploited and into strategies to conserve them. In West Africa, various tree species are heavily harvested by indigenous herders for foliage to feed their cattle. The reported declines in populations of several of these species have both biological and cultural implications, as cattle are an integral part of indigenous cultures and livelihoods. In this study we investigated Fulani herders’ practices, knowledge, and perceptions of the ecological impacts of harvesting foliage of African mahogany, Khaya senegalensis, in Benin, and we tested some of the factors that may influence them. Fulani herders have detailed ecological knowledge of their impacts on the resources they depend on, and this is finely tuned to local ecological conditions. This knowledge is also widely spread across different sectors of Fulani communities and is highly congruent with scientific findings. However, due to the open-access context of K. senegalensis populations, detailed knowledge of sustainability does not translate into sustainable practices. Fulani perceptions of threats to populations differ significantly between ecological regions and provide key insights for locally relevant resource management plans. Traditional Fulani practices such as the sopoodu provide a basis for sustainable management of proposed Fulani-owned K. senegalensis plantations. This study illustrates how the assessment of local ecological knowledge, practices, and perceptions can play a key role in the design of culturally-appropriate conservation plans.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Beatrice Krauss Fellowship and the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. We are grateful to the Fulani communities who participated in this research, to Yacoubou Boni, Samba Tobou Adam, and Rachidi Saliou for field assistance, and Ismail Moumouni, Florent Okry, Shimona Quazi, Nina Etkin, Kim Bridges, Andy Taylor, and Don Drake for useful discussion.

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  1. Orou G. Gaoue

    Present address: Department of Biology, Institute of Theoretical and Mathematical Ecology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botany Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Orou G. Gaoue & Tamara Ticktin

  2. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquee, Universite d’Abomey Calavi, 01BP 526, Cotonou, Benin

    Orou G. Gaoue

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  1. Orou G. Gaoue
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Correspondence to Orou G. Gaoue.

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Gaoue, O.G., Ticktin, T. Fulani Knowledge of the Ecological Impacts of Khaya senegalensis (Meliaceae) Foliage Harvest in Benin and its Implications for Sustainable Harvest. Econ Bot 63, 256–270 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-009-9091-6

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