Benin has experienced significant tree cover loss over the past two decades, with shifting agriculture identified as the primary driver. The West African nation, with an area of over 11.50 million hectares, has seen a net change in tree cover characterized by a loss of approximately 539,500 hectares and a gain of about 181,400 hectares, leading to a net loss of around 358,100 hectares. This translates to a 7.12% decrease in tree cover since records began.
The data reveals that shifting agriculture accounts for the vast majority of tree cover loss, with urbanization also contributing to the decline. Notably, there were no losses attributed to forestry or wildfires in the recorded data. The impact of this loss is significant, considering that Benin's total tree cover extent is just over 168,500 hectares.
Explore country profileThe latest incident in Atakora Department, where a fire alert was recorded on December 10, 2024, underscores the ongoing environmental challenges the country faces. While the number of incidents is low, the cumulative effect of land use practices such as shifting agriculture poses a long-term threat to Benin's tree cover and the ecological balance of the region.
