Launch of new guidelines for National Red Listing…
30 September, 2024
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30 September, 2024
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Wednesday 19 december 2018
Header photo: Hippos © Henk Simons, IUCN NL
The delta of the Mono river on the border of Togo and Benin is rich in nature and provides, among other things, the habitat for a population of threatened hippos. The area is also home to around 2 million people, who grow their crops on the riverbanks or depend on fisheries. This led to regular human wildlife conflict and retaliations. As a result, there are only 30 hippos remaining in the area. The threat to hippos reflects a much wider pressure on unique natural habitats and species in this delta.
In order to protect the remaining hippos in the area and safeguard the delta’s high biodiversity, cross border cooperation between the two countries was needed. We therefore worked together with the German development agency GIZ, the Beninese and Togolese authorities and local partner organizations to create the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. The residents are responsible for sustainable management of the reserve, in accordance with local customs based on their knowledge and traditions.
In 2017, the transboundary reserve of approximately 3,500 km2 was declared a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve. It is the only biosphere reserve in Africa where the majority of the core conservation areas is managed by communities. The reserve not only protects the habitat of the hippopotamus but also protects endangered forest, swamp and coastal ecosystems and the species living there. Moreover, thanks to sustainable management, it provides the residents with sufficient timber, food and water.
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