Achille Hounkpevi

• PhD
• Lecturer at Institut Supérieur Agronomique et Vétérinaire de Faranah

There are evidences that plant morphology is shaped by genotype, but local environment mainly climate influences morphology as well. In this study the morphological variability of Vitex doniana, a multipurpose tree species was characterised in relation with climatic parameters in order to provide insights to the species possible responses to future...

Sustainable management actions are needed for several indigenous agro forestry plant species like the black plum (Vitex doniana Sweet) because they are facing increasing pressures due to the rapid human growth and threats such as climate change. By combining species distribution modelling using the Maximum Entropy Algorithm (MaxEnt) and representat...

The Massi natural forest within the Lama forest reserve makes up a particular ecosystem which is unique in Benin, lying on clay vertisols that are periodically inundated with rainwater. As a contribution to its protection, a phytosociological inventory was made using an integrated synusial method for an in-depth study of the forest's spontaneous ve...

Local practices in West Africa, including in Benin, critically affect fruit production of some key wild plant species. This study aims to assess how land use types, dbh, tree height, and fire, affect the fruit production of Strychnos innocua and Strychnos spinosa (Loganiaceae) and the extent of the phenological variability across various bioclimati...

Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Heckel is an important nutraceutical reservoir. Its Sustainable exploitation requires information on its potential distribution in the current context of rapid population growth and climate change threats. This study aimed to map the suitable areas for its domestication and conservation under current and future cli...

A better understanding of rainfall variability and trends is vital for agricultural production systems which are largely dependent on climate. This study aims to analyze and to quantify the significance of change on annual, seasonal and daily rainfall in North and Central Benin, and to infer future challenges for crop production. Daily rainfall dat...

The growth of trees in riparian forests in semi-arid savannas is resilient to the natural variations in temperature and precipitation due to the availability of riverine water. Climate change can nevertheless, intensify the evapotranspiration of tree species, altering biodiversity, plant productivity and ecosystem services. Understanding the growth...

Some multi-purpose woody species, although currently considered as “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are undergoing several disturbances resulting from human overexploitation and changes in climate conditions and land-use types. The patterns of such disturbances are likely to vary across climate regions d...

Rice (Oryza spp.) is one of the major staple foods in Benin. Benin has increased rice production through the expansion of cultivation area rather than increasing rice yields. To better understand the factors affecting rice yields, a thorough understanding of the current rice production system characteristics and constraints is required. The present...

In regions dominated by savannahs, multipurpose tree species are key resources considering the diversity of services they offer. Such species are proned to overexploitation and improper management that may threaten their survival. Understanding local perception on their uses and conservation is essential to engage local communities in their sustain...

Background The growing interest for more natural products in food and health industries has led to increasing research on traditional knowledge related to plants. While theoretical knowledge (TK) on the uses of a species informs on the wide spectrum of potential uses of that species, actual uses (AU) highlight their potential being actually used. D...

The use of modern drugs to manage hypertension and diabetes is enough expensive and requires constant monitoring of the patient due to the chronicity and complications of these diseases. Thus, the populations of southern Burkina Faso have opted for the use of plants, including Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex G. Don, Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.)...

RESUME Les systèmes agroforestiers contribuent comme les forêts à la conservation physique et chimique du sol, à la régulation thermique et à la conservation de la biodiversité. Cette étude visait à caractériser la communauté des espèces ligneuses alimentaires dans quatre systèmes agroforestiers périphériques au noyau central de la Forêt Classée de...

Human pressures have accelerated the degradation of protected areas, especially in developing countries where populations depend heavily on forest resources. In order to limit the pressures on these areas, governance models are implemented. The present study aims to assess the impact of the governance experienced by the W Transboundary Biosphere Re...

A better understanding of rainfall variability and trends is vital for agricultural production systems. This study evaluates the spatio-temporal variability and trends in annual, seasonal and daily rainfall in Benin. Daily rainfall data for the 1970-2016 period measured at three weather stations (Savè, Malanville, and Tanguiéta) were obtained from...

Strychnos spinosa Lam. is an important wild edible fruit tree (WEFT) that is increasingly threatened due to anthropogenic pressure. Despite its remarkable socio-economic potential, commercial plantations for the species are rare. Characterization of the genetic diversity and potential of WEFT is a prerequisite for domestication and genetic improvem...

L’irrégularité des pluies et la baisse pluviométrique constituent des préoccupations majeures pour les producteurs de riz pluvial. Cette étude avait pour objectif de mettre en évidence les variabilités et tendances des débuts et fins des pluies ainsi que de la pluviométrie totale sur une période de 46 ans dans les localités de Glazoué, Malanville e...

There are several evidences of the prominent roles that non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and particularly wild edible fruit (WEF) play for human food security and poverty alleviation. Although neglected in the past, there are increasing interest on WEF species, and evaluation of their fruit production has become essential. Quantifying the fruit...

Background and aims-Geographic patterns of phenotypic variability can inform understanding of the resilience potential of plant species to environmental hazards such as climate change. Such understanding provides support for conservation and domestication efforts. Here, we investigated natural morphological variation of the individuals, fruits, see...

The African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a large tree of great socio-economic and cultural importance in Africa, with almost all the parts of the species used for various purposes. A major concern about baobab fruit pulp production is the long time it takes for first fruiting (about 15 years). Vegetative propagation offers several advantages w...

Hypertension is a global public health problem. This study aimed to determine the diversity of plant species used by traditional healers. Thus, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 195 informants through traditional healers associations of Sanmatenga, Bazega and Zounweogo located in different phytogeographical sectors. Questionnaire ref...

Garcinia kola is a multipurpose tree and an important medicinal plant in most Western and Central African communities. The species is highly valued for its edible nuts and its different parts are used for the treatment of diverse ailments. Because of its overexploitation, G. kola is now extinct in the wild in Benin. Conservation and cultivation are...

Green monkey orange (Strychnos spinosa) is an important multipurpose tree in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, including Benin. The objectives of this study were to (i) examine the various indigenous uses of Strychnos spinosa, (ii) assess local perception of the major threats to Strychnos spinosa, and (iii) identify the conservation strategi...

Cette étude a évalué les facteurs écologiques et socioculturels qui influencent les connaissances endogènes sur les plantes alimentaires locales dans la zone riveraine du noyau central de la Forêt Classée de la Lama au Bénin. Des enquêtes ethnobotaniques ont été menées auprès de 390 personnes choisies au hasard dans 9 villages situés dans la zone r...

We assessed impacts of climatic variability, land cover and proximity of river on the ecology and population structure of Vitex doniana Sweet in Benin (West Africa) in order to provide relevant information for its sustainable management and conservation in the context of global change. Numbers of contacts and numbers of adult individuals per contac...

The study was carried out in the Lama forest in South Benin. It focused on the ecological and structural characterization of forest plant-communities identified in the northern part of the Noyau Central of the forest reserve of Lama. The ecological characterization consisted of the study of the ecological parameters (soil nature, slope and topograp...

The study was carried out in the Lama Forest Reserve located 100 km North of Cotonou, Benin (6°55'- 7°00' N, 2°04' - 2°12' E). Its main objective was to study the structural and ecological characteristics of the forest so as to design adequate silvicultural systems for the forests' rehabilitation and sustainable management. The species diversity of...