SRJS_ToC_BE Sustainable management of the Mono and Oueme river basins in Benin

The Ouémé and Mono Delta landscapes in southern Benin are coastal areas. Both landscapes are a mosaic of lakes, mangroves, floodplains, gallery forests, savannahs and beaches. Rich in wildlife and home to rare and often endangered species, the landscapes provide important ecosystem services to millions of people, such as drinking water, energy, transport, water retention during flooding, and agricultural lands and fishing grounds for food. These ecosystem services are coming increasingly under pressure from rapid human population growth, fueled by increasing migration to the coastal areas and the rapid expansion of urban areas. Large-scale economic development is rife, with the expansion of industries that depend directly on natural resources such as water and encroach on natural habitats with their plants and related infrastructure. Increased energy demand has also led to infrastructural developments, such as the construction of a new dam in the Mono and plans for dams on the Ouémé river. At the community level, unsustainable practices are further threatening the area. Slash and burn agriculture has destroyed forests, resulting in soil erosion that is compromising water supplies. Waterways are polluted by runoff from chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture. Fish stocks are dwindling due to overfishing.