Socioeconomic factors determining ecosystem services local perceptions in two ecological zones in Benin (West Africa)

Abstract

Forests have been undergoing diverse threats due to human activities and these may affect their role as Ecosystem Services (ES) providers. Therefore, it becomes crucial to undertake some analysis of the current socio-economic context of ES offerings to provide valuable information for the decision-making process and policy regarding sustainable forest management. This study aimed at highlighting the local perception of ES in two contrasting ecological regions. 689 respondents distributed in six districts were interviewed through a semi-structured survey on the various ES and their assessment. The analysis in principal components is used to understand socio-cultural group perception. Then, we used Beta regression to know how socio-economic factors influence the rate of people knowledge of ES. Our results show that provisioning services were more overall perceived, followed by cultural services and regulating services. Youth perceived less regulating and supporting services. Furthermore, cultural services were the most perceived by the seniors. The perception of provisioning and regulating services is influenced respectively by education level and the poverty index. Taking into account the local perception of the different actors and the factors in the decision-making, local development can be improved in compliance with the objectives of biodiversity conservation.

Keywords: Local perceptions, Ecosystem Services, environmental education, forest management, Benin Republic.