Akomian Fortuné Azihou

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Abomey-Calavi

Africa boasts high biodiversity while also being home to some of the largest and fastest-growing human populations. Although the current environmental footprint of Africa is low compared to other continents, the population of Africa is estimated at around 1.5 billion inhabitants, representing nearly 18% of the world’s total population. Consequently...

Local trade remains a data poor component of wildlife crime that must be better understood for more effective combat against the illegal wildlife trade. We assessed the distribution of wildlife markets, diversity of species traded and the extent of the trade chain through spatial analysis of wildlife sale sites and semi-structured interviews with 7...

Background and Research Aims: The bushmeat trade is one of the main drivers of faunal extinction in tropical Africa. We assess the profitability of the bushmeat trade along the commodity chain in southern Benin and study the perceptions of the actors on the profitability of the trade. Methods: Data were collected through direct interviews. A total...

Introduction Managing the degradation and loss of Sudanian woodlands to ensure sustainable use for mainly firewood, poles, and timber is receiving increasing attention, and it requires tailored strategies to improve stand productivity. This study determined: (i) tree response (density, recruitment, and height growth) to selective stem thinning and...

Sericostachys scandens Gilg & Lopr. (Amaranthaceae), liane envahissante, représente une menace pour les espèces ligneuses des forêts tropicales. Cette étude vise à comparer les paramètres dendrométriques des peuplements ligneux entre les milieux envahis par S. scandens et les milieux non envahis, puis à estimer l’influence de S. scandens sur les st...

We tackle the potential impact of bushmeat markets (BM) and traditional medicine markets (TMM) on the functional diversity of mammalian communities in southern Benin. A hybrid approach combining direct observations, DNA-typing and questionnaires allowed us to identify 94 species-level taxa across 11 mammalian orders, the greatest ever reported numb...

We tackle the potential impact of bushmeat markets (BM) and traditional medicine markets (TMM) on the functional diversity of mammalian communities in southern Benin, West Africa. A hybrid approach combining direct observations, DNA-typing and questionnaires allowed us to identify 94 species-level taxa across 11 mammalian orders, the greatest ever...

Agroforestry systems are the last refuge habitats for many large old trees. This study assessed the management and the protection of Milicia excelsa (Iroko) trees in agricultural landscape of Dogbo district in southern Benin. A socio-economic survey with 288 respondents combined with an inventory of M. excelsa trees in agricultural lands were carri...

Our understanding of the role of fire and effect of ant species composition, beyond their diversity and abundance, on the effectiveness of mutualism defence is limited. Most of our knowledge of ant–plant defence in tropical Africa is biased towards East African savannas which have richer soil, higher primary productivity and a more diverse arthropo...

The sustainable conservation of forest resources in a context of climate change and population growth would be compromised in their current form of exploitation by rural communities. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of climate change on the dynamics of habitats favorable to species of conservation priority in the forests under ON...

Significance We develop a biogeographic approach to analyzing the presence of alternative stable states in tropical biomes. Whilst forest–savanna bistability has been widely hypothesized and modeled, empirical evidence has remained scarce and controversial, and here, applying our method to Africa, we provide large-scale evidence that there are alte...

This work provides guidance to improve patrol allocation using ranger collected data about incidents by describing the extent of illegal activities, (ii) identifying zones of high pressure for each class of illegal activities, and (iii) evaluating seasonal variation of illegal activities.

Many causes are suspected to explain the decline of medicinal plant species. This study aims to understand the threats on Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloïdes and Morinda lucida in Benin in order to plan sound conservation strategies. A total of 247 respondents of the Southern and Central Zones of Benin were interviewed based on the uses of each target speci...

Moringa oleifera Lam. is an agroforestry species grown for its various uses. Despite its great socio-economic importance, the species is still not well exploited and considered as a neglected and underutilised species. This study aimed at identifying the morphotypes of M. oleifera and assessing how they were related to climatic conditions and farme...

Lianas play an important role in several aspects of forest dynamics. This study aims to (1) compare the spatial distribution of woody species between invaded and non-invaded areas by Sericostachy scandens and (2) assess the effect of the density of adult trees of a given species and woody regeneration and young tree stages of other species on the r...

Information on how biotic factors influence delivery of ecosystem services (ES) in natural systems is important for holistic landscape management. In this study, we assessed the perceived effects of elephants’ presence on ES supply in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in West Africa. A total of 112 respondents, including riparian communities and reser...

This study aims to (1) estimate the effect of Sericostachys scandens density on the species richness of woody species development stages, and (2) evaluate the variation in floristic composition of woody species development stages according to S. scandens density within the Kibira National Park (KNP) in Burundi. The abundance of this liana and other...

Information on how abiotic and biotic factors affect species population structures and regeneration are critical for understanding plant growth in natural habitats. Here, we used data from three spatially distinct populations of Afzelia africana Sm. in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin, to determine how the species population structures respo...

Aim In tropical Africa, savannas cover huge areas, have high plant species richness and are considered as a major natural resource for most countries. There is, however, little information available on their floristics and biogeography at the continental scale, despite the importance of such information for our understanding of the drivers of speci...

Background We undertook ethnobotanical and ecological studies on fodder plants grazed by cattle across Benin national area. The study aims to ascertain the top priority fodder plants in order to catalogue the indigenous knowledge regarding their use. Methods Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and covered 690 breeders and 40 day...

This study analyses the spatio-temporal trends of illegal activities in W Biosphere Reserve of Benin in order to provide guidance for planning the patrol system. We used ranger-collected data on illegal activities in the reserve from 2012 to 2015. Illegal grazing is the most common illegal activity observed in the reserve (1,137 incidents), followe...

Kigelia africana (Bignoniaceae), is an indigenous species widely recognised for its medicinal, magic uses and therapeutic virtue used throughout Africa and especially in Benin Republic. Distribution of the species coincides with that of the intermediate hosts as determined by environmental factors. This study aimed to model the present-day and futu...

The effectiveness of protected areas to guarantee future conservation of several plant species remains questionable. This study was carried out in the Biosphere Reserve of Pendjari (BRP) and surrounding unprotected areas to assess the efficiency of the reserve to conserve orchids. A total of 90 plots (52 in protected areas; 38 in unprotected areas)...

Afzelia africana is a tropical multi-use tree species distributed in West, East, and Central Africa. Understanding factors affecting seedlings is crucial to design an effective conservation and restoration plan for the species. Here, we examined the factors constraining seedling density and survival. We randomly established 203 circular plots of 5-...

Sustainability of Kigelia africana species passes throughout their conservation. Protected area is recognised as the granary of species populations. Kigelia africana is an indigenous species and traditionally contributes to the resilience in term of health insurance, source of income, reduction of poverty and stability of the biodiversity. This stu...

In Benin, people have a rich ethnobotanical knowledge of plant species, reflecting the cultural and ecological diversity of their environment. Several studies were focused on the question of how valuable are plant species for local communities. However, there has been very little research interest in the orchid species in spite of the importance of...

In Benin, people have a rich ethnobotanical knowledge of plant species, reflecting the cultural and ecological diversity of their environment. Several studies were focused on the question of how valuable are plant species for local communities. However, there has been very little research interest in the orchid species in spite of the importance of...

Browse plants play an important role in feeding ruminants especially in dry seasons when herbaceous forage is unavailable. This paper aim at developing models for leaf biomass estimating for their rapid evaluation and the planning of the rational use conditions. For each of the three main browse species, 25 trees were sampled. Dendrometric measurem...

The geometries and topologies of leaves, flowers, roots, shoots, and their arrangements have fascinated plant biologists and mathematicians alike. As such, plant morphology is inherently mathematical in that it describes plant form and architecture with geometrical and topological techniques. Gaining an understanding of how to modify plant morpholo...

Elephants are reported to have a dramatic impact on woody vegetation in protected areas. Careful control of elephant and wood species populations is therefore crucial to successful biodiversity management in such ecosystems. The perceptions of local people and protected areas managers could very usefully supplement classic ecological surveys and mo...

Deforestation and forest degradation have several negative effects on the environment including a loss of species habitats, disturbance of the water cycle and reduced ability to retain CO2, with consequences for global warming. We investigated the evolution of forest resources from development regions in Romania affected by both deforestation and r...

Plant morphology is inherently mathematical in that morphology describes plant form and architecture with geometrical and topological descriptors. The geometries and topologies of leaves, flowers, roots, shoots and their spatial arrangements have fascinated plant biologists and mathematicians alike. Beyond providing aesthetic inspiration, quantifyi...

Domesticating indigenous agroforestry species is gaining interest as a potential option for conservation and production. Yet, spatial patterning of key species and how it is altered by environmental variations, which are important to design plantation schemes in forest and agroforestry systems, are still poorly documented. The pair-correlation func...

Hyphaene thebaica Mart. (doum palm) is an agroforestry tree with high ecological and economic value, but currently its populations are harvested excessively, which is likely to increase in the future. This study assessed the current status of this species with regard to increasing landscape modification and human pressure in Benin. We compared the...

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...

Diversity, pastoral and conservation priorities of fodder trees in the Sudano-Guinean pasture lands of Benin. Description of the subject. Fodder trees are important for livestock survival in dryland Africa. In view of the pressure faced by these trees, and their consequent rarity noted in rangelands, a study was conducted in the Sudano-Guinean tran...

Description of the subject Fodder trees are important for livestock survival in dryland Africa. In view of the pressure faced by these trees, and their consequent rarity noted in rangelands, a study was conducted in the Sudano-Guinean transition zone of Benin at the level of the local population surrounding the protected forests of Monts Kouffé, Wa...

La structure spatiale d’un peuplement forestier est essentielle dans le fonctionnement de ce dernier car elle détermine l’environnement local autour de chacun des arbres le composant. L’objectif de la présente étude est de contribuer à la modélisation de la répartition spatiale des pieds de Parkia biglobosa au Bénin en vue de leur gestion durable....

La régénération des espèces ligneuses est un des domaines d’intérêt majeurs des écologues dans le processus de renouvellement des écosystèmes. La pré- sente étude visait, d’une part, à analyser le potentiel de régénération des unités de végétation en zone soudanienne au Bénin et, d’autre part, à renseigner ses variations en fonction du relief. Au t...

Spatial patterns (SP) of treefall by elephants is known to be clustered across landscapes as a result of food selection and group foraging. Yet, few studies have explicitly elucidated how elephant pressure (EP) alters SP and tree-to-tree distance of tree species especially for dioecious plant species, at stand scale. Using the pair-correlation func...

The regeneration of woody species is of major interest to ecologists in connection with ecosystem renewal. This study aimed (i) to analyse the regeneration potential of vegetation units in Benin's Sudanian zone, (ii) to document the variations in regeneration potential according to the relief. A total of 615 survey plots 25 m2 in area were marked o...

This study assessed the effectiveness of plot patterns for estimating recruit density of woody species in the dense forest of Lama Reserve (Benin). The experimental design consisted of thirty 0.04 ha plots randomly settled in the forest and each subdivided into four hundred 1-m_quadrats. Within each quadrat, recruits (dbh _10 cm) were counted and s...

Plusieurs plantes fourragères sont utilisées dans la prise en charge des parasites gastro – intestinaux des ruminants dans nombreux pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest comme le Bénin. L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer la disponibilité et de déterminer les caractéristiques dendrométriques de trois de ces plantes fourragères dans les zones agro-climatique...

Long-distance dispersal (LDD) of plants is difficult to measure but disproportionately important for various ecological and evolutionary processes. Dispersal of seeds of gallery-forest trees in savanna provides an opportunity for the study of colonisation processes and species coexistence driven by LDD. Investigations were carried out on 91 isolate...

This study assessed the level of bark damage on baobab trees (Adansonia digitata) as caused by elephants (Loxodonta africana), and the possibility of finding refuges where baobab could escape bark damage within the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve (PBR). Distributions of elephants and baobab trees within the PBR were compared using presence records of bo...

This study assessed the level of bark damage on baobab trees (Adansonia digitata) as caused by elephants (Loxodonta africana), and the possibility of finding refuges where baobab could escape bark damage within the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve (PBR). Distributions of elephants and baobab trees within the PBR were compared using presence records of bot...

The velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense Willd) is one of the key species for domestication in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to help the sustainable management and conservation of this species, its structural characteristics and ethnobotanical traits were studied in the 4 vegetation types (typical dense forest, degraded dense forest, young fallow and...

Savannas intermingled with gallery forests are dynamic habitats typical in Africa. This study aims to determine if differences in species traits lead to non-overlapping distribution of gallery-forest and savanna species and abrupt transition between gallery forest and savanna. Tree species densities were measured in 375 plots of 1500 m2 covering a...

African communities traditionally use medicinal plants for their primary healthcare. To ensure the sustainable use of these species one of the crucial issues is to document African communities' indigenous medicinal knowledge. To achieve this goal, the present study evaluated the use frequency and the knowledge of local Beninese communities on the e...

All over the world, plant domestication is continually being carried out by local communities to support their needs for food, fibre, medicine, building materials, etc. Using participatory rapid appraisal approach, 150 households were surveyed in 5 villages (Aglamidjodji, Banon, Batia, Gbédé and Korontière) selected in five ethnic groups of the two...