Future of the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus: Evidence From Indigenous and Local Peoples of the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Benin Republic-Togo) in West Africa

Indigenous and Local Knowledge-Nature Nexus

Historically, IPLCs have been using their associated knowledge to cope with severe environmental change and enable sustainability at the local level. Whilst not simple to define, their knowledge broadly refers to the expressions, practices, beliefs, understandings, insights, and experiences generated over centuries of profound interaction with a particular territory (Grey 2014). Terms commonly used in the literature to define their knowledge include ‘Indigenous and local knowledge’, ‘traditional knowledge’, ‘traditional forest knowledge’, ‘local ecological knowledge’ (Boafo et al. 2016), ‘Indigenous technical knowledge’, and ‘rural knowledge’ (Masinde and Bagula 2011). Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) will be used in this paper to encompass all aspects related to this field of knowledge (Williams, Sikutshwa, and Shackleton, 2020).

There is a growing understanding of the contribution of ILK in conserving nature and reversing the advanced degradation of local biodiversity. At the global level, the main document of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Agenda 21, explicitly states the vital role that ILK and practices play in environmental management and development (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992). With regard to natural resources management, ILK has been identified as relevant in addressing the current unsustainable utilization of different categories of ecosystem services (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). The information, techniques, theory, and practices provided by ILK (Hill et al. 2020) are key to sustainable natural ecosystem management and conservation (Kanene 2016). Moreover, Donato-Kinomis (2016) argued that the use of ILK is an important catalyst for sustainability due to its direct connection to ecosystem management and conservation. An example of the value of ILK can be observed in the Samburu and Laikipia Maasai communities in Kenya, which have managed to survive challenging and unpredictable droughts and sustain their livelihoods (Roué et al. 2017). In times of severe drought, the communities use a vibrating stone believed to possess spiritual power to seek rain through Indigenous ceremonies that include prayers, milk offerings, the sacrifice of black and white goats, and singing (Oguge 2017). In Ghana, forest ecosystem services have been protected for decades through varied Indigenous practices, which involve customary laws and taboos (Corcoran, Ravilious, and Skuja, 2007). For example, in the Kpalgun and Yoggu communities of Ghana, it is a custom that parts of the shea tree can only be harvested for firewood when a newborn is introduced to the community (Boafo et al. 2016). Failure to comply with such customary law often results in a fine of money or livestock, public flogging, and, in extreme cases, expulsion from the village (Boafo et al. 2016). The Benin Republic is well known for its traditional and cultural religion named Vodoun. Followers of Vodoun believe in the existence of spiritual entities that significantly impact the sustainability of ecosystem services through local beliefs and customary laws (Djagoun et al. 2022). There is clear evidence that ILK and its practices have the potential to act as a foundation for local communities to assist in coping with adverse environmental conditions and promote sustainability at the local level (Tcheton et al. 2025).

Nevertheless, globalization, along with swift socioeconomic shifts, ecological challenges, loss of biodiversity, and climate change, undermines the connections between IPLCs and the continuity and dynamism of their associated knowledge in nature conservation (Fernández-Llamazares et al. 2021; Teixidor-Toneu et al. 2023). According to Cassidy et al. (2011) the risk of losing such knowledge is not from a lack of application or need but from outsiders’ indifference and devaluation of these knowledge systems. Colonialism has not been helpful either (Mapara 2009; Maunganidze 2016; Risiro & Tshuma 2013). Across many communities in Africa, colonizers, in the quest for local resources, engaged in the over-exploitation of natural resources without much consideration of the cultural beliefs embedded within the Indigenous communities (Risiro & Tshuma 2013). Consequently, the existing systems of ILK were erased and replaced with Western-driven belief, culture, and knowledge systems (Anwar 2011). Even though some forms of knowledge have remained resilient over time, the effects of colonialism have led to a rapid decline of ILK (Mosepele et al. 2007), which now threatens the relationship between IPLCs and nature (Horsthemke 2004).

Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus

Mangrove forests are a crucial resource all around the world. Sub-Saharan Africa contains over one-fifth of the world’s mangrove forests, with 70 percent of these found in 19 West African nations (Corcoran, Ravilious, and Skuja 2007). A total area of 15,704.47 km2 is covered by mangroves in that region of Africa, representing 10.3 percent of global mangrove areas (Spalding, Kainuma, and Collins 2011). In the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (MTBR), mangrove forests remain natural and occupy 7.50 percent of this reserve area (Adjonou et al. 2023). Today, the major roles of West African mangroves are now being understood in many West African countries, and their significant ecological and socioeconomic importance is well documented (Ajonina, Diame, and Kairo 2018; Feka & Ajonina 2011; Ndour, Dieng, and Fall 2012).

Mangroves represent a significant ‘natural capital’ (Aheto et al. 2016) and play a critical role in supplying food to local communities (Fousseni et al. 2017), mitigating and regulating the adverse effects of climate change (Yulianda et al. 2014), and hosting a unique ecosystem extremely rich in biodiversity (Feka & Ajonina 2011). Beninese mangrove forests provide local communities with timber and non-timber forest products, as well as abundant fishing grounds and salt (Teka et al. 2019). They are among the most carbon-rich tropical forests (Alongi 2022; Sinsin et al. 2021) and hence serve as greenbelts to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on coastal biomes (Yulianda et al. 2014). They have fewer tree species than other ecosystems, which sometimes leads people to believe that they are not rich. Mangrove richness is demonstrated as they serve as resting and breeding grounds for thousands of migrating birds (Aheto et al. 2016), and support large populations of vertebrate and invertebrate species (Corcoran, Ravilious, and Skuja 2007). However, the advanced degradation of such an ecosystem remains problematic. For example, 30 percent of their cover has been lost in 25 years, predominantly because of human-induced activities (Fousseni et al. 2017; Padonou et al. 2021). This is likely to lead to a severe threat to the reproduction of aquatic species and potentially enhance human beings’ vulnerability to poverty, climate disruption, and food insecurity (Sunkur et al. 2023; Teka et al. 2019). Consequently, there is a need for a deeper understanding of the reciprocal and complex system of Mangroves-FCB for future generations. This includes not only the supporting role of mangroves (Sunkur et al. 2023) but also requires the analysis of the fundamental relationship between IPLCs, their associated knowledge, and the FCB nexus (Martinez et al. 2024).

Mangroves offer a novel lens for understanding the relationship between food, climate, and biodiversity in West Africa. Therefore, this study aims to explore the understanding of the context and perceived futures of Mangroves-FCB from IPLCs’ perspectives in the MTBR.

Objectives:

(1) Exploring the relationship between IPLCs and mangroves in the context of food, climate, and biodiversity.

Research Questions:

(1) How do IPLCs experience the benefits and threats of mangroves in relation to food, climate, and biodiversity?

Study Area

Located in the south-west of the Benin Republic and Togo, the MTBR site covers an area of 346,285 ha (UNESCO 2018). The reserve is located in the dry Dahomey corridor, characterized by a diverse range of ecosystems, including mangroves (Kokou and Sokpon 2006). The Mono River is the main river upon which the reserve is built. The reserve has a tropical and humid climate with four distinct seasons: two dry (November to March and July to September) and two rainy (March to July and September to November) seasons (Adjonou et al. 2023). The study area was selected because it allows for the exploration of the intersection of food, climate, and biodiversity challenges for IPLCs. In the MTBR, around 2 million people are local (Adjonou et al. 2023), with 80 percent largely depending on the ecosystem services provided by the reserve (Kokou & Sokpon 2006). Such dependency from the local communities has drastically reduced the mangrove cover from 13,306 ha in 1995–9452 ha in 2015, representing a loss of 29 percent in 20 years (Sinsin et al., 2021). This significant loss has severe implications for forest resources (Adjonou et al. 2020) and may increase local people’s vulnerability to poverty (Teka et al. 2019), climate disruption, and food insecurity in the region (United Nations Development Programme 2022).

The study was conducted in eight villages where IPLCs access, interact with, and depend on the MTBR, and who have witnessed some patterns of change in the mangrove, climate, food, and local biodiversity. The villages considered in this study were chosen based on two criteria (Tcheton et al. 2025). Initially, we used the Global Mangrove Watch data from March 2024 to pinpoint locations where mangrove ecosystems are present within the reserve. We then projected the coordinates of all villages in the reserve to determine which ones are situated in or near mangrove areas, suggesting they might rely on these resources. We visited the villages identified as being in or near the mangrove ecosystem and arranged an initial meeting with the village chiefs. Subsequently, in every village, we requested village chiefs to evaluate the degree of interaction and reliance of village members on mangrove ecosystems by scoring it from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates low interaction, and 5 represents the highest level of interaction. The villages that recorded the highest level of interaction were considered in this study. Among the villages in the MTBR in Togo located close to mangrove ecosystems with the highest interaction, only two fell within our criteria of selection, Agbanankin and Agonkpamè. In the Benin Republic side of the reserve, only six villages -Gonguèkpè, Avlo, Bopa Centre, Dohi, Houakpè-Daho, and Nazoumè fit our selection criteria.

Figure 1 below shows the proximity of the villages included in the study within the MTBR.OPEN IN VIEWER

Study Participants

In each selected village, participants were identified using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The initial participants identified in each village were the village chiefs, following the assumption that they knew the community members, the practitioners of ILK, and had witnessed some patterns of change in mangrove, climate, food, and local biodiversity. They were then asked to suggest potential participants to the researcher. This method is known as snowball sampling (Bhattacherjee 2012; Cohen and Arieli 2011). Based on the recommendations, purposive sampling was used to invite the referred participants to participate in the research (Etikan, Musa, and Alkassim 2015) with the goal that they would be able to provide a depth of understanding of the research topic (Patton 2002). These sampling techniques have been used previously in the study area (Gnansounou et al. 2022a). Following this process, we identified 68 potential participants from the study villages. Two main criteria were applied to participant selection (Zhang Waring et al. 2018). In total, 68 potential participants were asked two questions to determine whether they would be suitable to participate in the study: (1) Is your activity or occupation mangrove dependent? and (2) Did you notice a change in the mangrove ecosystem? Those questions were purposely asked following the assumption that participants who interact with mangrove ecosystems may witness some patterns of change that can inform the FCB nexus. A total of 65 participants were retained for the study and invited to volunteer to participate in the focus group discussions, but only 57 participants accepted the invitation. Table 1 describes the process of selecting suitable participants and details whether they were Indigenous or not.

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Table 1.

Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Criteria and Participant Details.

Questions (Criteria)	Indigenous & Local People, N = 63	Non-Indigenous & Local People, N = 6
Is your activity mangrove-dependent?	---	---
Yes	58 (84 percent)	6 (9 percent)
No	5 (7 percent)	0 (0 percent)
Did you notice a change in the mangrove ecosystem?	---	---
Yes	59 (85 percent)	6 (9 percent)
No	4 (6 percent)	0 (0 percent)

Focus Group Discussions

Six focus group discussions that lasted, on average, an hour were organized with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 10 participants per group in each village. The groups were held at the community hall in each village. Groups were intentionally kept small enough to allow for in-depth discussions to take place (Baxter, Courage, and Kelly 2015). To avoid biases that could arise from the influence of men over women and community chiefs over community members, groups of males were separated from those of females, and chiefs were not invited to the discussions. Cultural considerations were also made about who led the FGD facilitation, as there are cultural norms that made it uncomfortable for women to interact with a male researcher. Consequently, the primary male researcher led and facilitated the discussion with the men, and a female field assistant led and facilitated the discussion with the women. The FGD guide was developed in English and discussed in both French and two local languages, Xweda and Fon. A local translator was recruited in each village to assist in translating some keywords to the participants in their local language to ensure they understood what was asked. The study objectives were explained to all participants, and both verbal and written consent were received prior to their participation in the discussion. This study received ethics approval protocol number H23/08/37 from the Human Research Ethics Committee (Non-Medical) of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and H22-01993 from the Behavioural Research Ethics Board of the University of British Columbia in Canada. (Table 2).

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Table 2.

Participants Involved in the Focus Group per Village.

N = 6	Males (N = 37)	Females (N = 20)	Villages	Country
Focus group discussions	---	---	---	---
Group 1	10	-	Agbanankin	Togo
Group 2	9	-	Houakpè-Daho	Benin
Group 3	-	10	Agonkpamin	Togo
Group 4	10	-	Agonkpamin	Togo
Group 5	8	-	Nanzounmè	Benin
Group 6	-	10	Houakpè-Daho	Benin

Data Analysis

The data was captured as audio recordings during the focus groups, after which detailed notes were taken for analysis. The notes were then transcribed from the local languages “Xweda” and “Fon”, and French to English by the primary researcher. Those transcripts were used for inductive coding. Inductive coding refers to a data analysis process wherein the researcher reads and interprets raw textual data to develop concepts or themes (Chandra & Shang 2019). The inductive coding approach was used as our research addresses a new dimension of interest within the FCB nexus, with very limited scientific knowledge. Inductive reasoning was used to code the first-order terms identified in the transcripts, aggregate them into the second-order categories, and then into the final category or themes (Chandra & Shang 2019; Tcheton et al. 2025). The first level of coding describes the participant’s perception related to the mangroves-food-climate-biodiversity benefits, threats, behaviors, future, and the role of ILK. We coded for the benefits (What are the benefits for you and for the ecosystem?), threats (What possible threats can make such a nexus more fragile?), behaviors (What can we positively do about such a nexus?), future (How do you see such nexus in the future?), and role of ILK (What is the place of ILK in such nexus?). That information was then aggregated into the second category of coding to give a sense of their relationship with the nexus Mangroves-FCB. Afterward, the second researcher expanded the coding using thematic content analysis (Kuiper et al. 2022; Schaal et al. 2023). Themes were then developed into a final category to provide a broader understanding of the complexity of the relationship between mangroves and the FCB in the reserve. Both researchers moved back and forth between various coding cycles to verify concepts, codes, and interpretations (Zreik et al. 2022). The data analysis process continued until both researchers agreed that saturation was achieved (Zreik et al. 2022). Table 1 in the supplemental material provides a detailed example of the coding process.

Mangrove FCB Benefits

The benefits of mangroves in terms of food, climate, and biodiversity were interconnected through the expression and experience of culture and livelihoods. Mangroves in the MTBR sustained the Indigenous culture and livelihoods of IPLCs living around (Table 3).

Two main themes emerged from 9 codes related to the food, climate, and biodiversity benefits of mangroves. First, mangroves sustained Indigenous culture through the conservation of cultural practices, beliefs, sacred rituals, and ceremonies. Secondly, mangroves sustained the lives and livelihoods of IPLCs by providing a variety of foods, conserving indigenous species, and protecting against extreme weather patterns.

Mangrove FCB Threats

Table 4 shows the perceived threats to mangroves that impact food, climate, and biodiversity are exacerbated by natural events such as seasonal disturbances and water scarcity. Participants described anthropogenic disturbances that have caused competition between humans and mangroves, the disappearance of key species, the degradation of natural habitats, and agricultural expansion, which has led to human and mangrove tension.

Two main themes emerged from 18 codes related to the food, climate, and biodiversity threats to mangroves. First, there are anthropogenic threats to mangroves. Second, there is an emergence of human-mangrove tensions in the study area.

Mangrove FCB Behaviors

Participants mentioned that behaviors that are needed to sustain mangroves and their impact on food, climate, and biodiversity need to be through the shift to alternative livelihoods, restoration actions, and the respect of indigenous principles. They also highlighted that there is a need to reinforce the collaboration between IPLCs, and governmental agencies (Table 5).

Two main themes emerged from 11 codes related to the food, climate, and biodiversity, and the needed behavior towards mangroves. First, there is a need for the revitalisation and integration of ILK in conservation practices. Secondly, there is a need for stronger collaboration between government and IPLCs.

Mangrove FCB and Place of ILK

Table 6 shows results related to the place of ILK to support human and mangrove relationships through food provision and climate. However, the loss of ILK is impacting biodiversity conservation, which has implications for the symbolic meaning that some key biodiversity species have.

One main theme emerged from 7 codes related to the food, climate, and biodiversity and ILK. The loss of ILK appears as coding to show the current status and place of ILK in sustaining mangroves for FCB. The theme relates to the cross-generational diminishing of ILK that impacts mangrove conservation.

Mangroves FCB and Future

Table 7 shows that the loss of ILK practices in mangrove conservation is causing dramatic weather conditions, advanced habitat degradation, and the disappearance of wild species.

Two themes emerged from 8 codes related to the future of mangroves in sustaining food, climate, and biodiversity. Loss of ILK appears as coding to show that the continuous loss of ILK in the future could lead to a severe degradation. The first theme relates to the perception that ILK will no longer be used and applied in the future for mangrove conservation. The second deals with severe degradation of mangroves in the future.

Severe Degradation of Mangroves in the Future that Impacts FCB

Participants felt that there would be an advanced degradation of biodiversity coupled with dramatic weather conditions in the future due to the lack of use of Indigenous practices. They believed that key biodiversity species such as birds, monkeys, and crocodiles would continue to disappear at an escalating rate, highlighting the urgent need to reconnect to the experiences and skills of IPLCs to halt the loss and support the human-nature relationship in the future. Mangroves were also cut for diverse purposes, and this is reducing space and degrading the habitats of thousands of species that depend on them. By continuing like this, mangroves will not provide food or protection against extreme weather conditions in the future (Figure 2).

“The common observation that everyone will talk about in our community is that the rain comes at unexpected times, and the stock of fish is not enough to feed us.” (Benin, Nanzoumè, Male)

“When I was a kid, there were monkeys everywhere within the community. They are all gone now because we used to cut mangroves, and they had no other place to live in.” (Benin, Houakpè-Daho, Male).

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Figure 2.

Perceived view on the future of FCB: Food (extreme weather conditions), Climate (extreme weather conditions), Biodiversity (habitat degradation and disappearance of key species).

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and the Benefits and Threats of Mangroves in Relation to Food, Climate, and Biodiversity

This study recorded several benefits and threats of mangroves in sustaining food, climate, and biodiversity in the MTBR. As supported by Gnansounou et al. (2022a), the MTBR provides twenty-one benefits to IPLCs. Of those, sixteen were recorded in this study, including fish and crab provision, timber collection, climate regulation, and biodiversity conservation, among others. The slight difference in the number of benefits in the two studies may be due to the size of the participants considered or the qualitative research method used in each study (Marshall et al. 2013). The former used household surveys with more than two hundred participants, while the latter used focus group discussions with fifty-six participants. However, despite the foregoing functional importance of mangrove ecosystems demonstrated in this study (Aheto et al. 2016), there are various factors that impacted their function (Feka and Ajonina 2011) to sustain sustainable food production and biodiversity conservation (Worm et al. 2006). Our results showed that most threats associated with mangroves that impacted food, climate, and biodiversity were directly or indirectly the result of anthropogenic actions. As reported by many studies in the reserve, anthropogenic actions were the main factors leading to the degradation of mangrove ecosystems (Adanguidi et al. 2020; Gnansounou et al. 2022a; Teka et al. 2019; Zanvo et al. 2021).

Our results also suggested that changing human behaviors may have the power to alter the trajectory of the FCB nexus positively. This aligns with the findings of many authors, including (Amel et al. 2017; Bowie et al. 2020; Frank, Glikman, and Marchini 2019; Weber 2017), among others, who reported that building successful behavior change is key to creating positive impacts on our natural environment. Our study called for a stronger collaborative work between IPLCs and governmental authorities to sustain mangroves and food, climate, and biodiversity in the MTBR. Even though a study demonstrated that such collaborative work had a positive impact on mangrove ecosystems in the reserve (Gnansounou et al. 2022b) there is still a lack of evidence of how such an approach induces behavior change toward conservation practices (Baldauf 2020). This is probably because IPLCs are not given the same rights in such an approach in order to advance sustainability. As claimed by the participants in this study, they still rely on the governmental funding system, which delays the implementation of some rituals and ceremonies intended to conserve biodiversity and improve weather patterns.

Indigenous and Local Knowledge in the Relationship Between Mangroves and Food, Climate, and Biodiversity

Our study demonstrated that the place of ILK in mangroves, food, climate, and biodiversity is critical, as knowledge is disappearing due to many factors. Marginalization and cross-generational issues were identified as big challenges that impacted mangrove conservation in sustaining food, climate, and biodiversity. As widely debated by researchers, marginalization is the biggest factor ever recorded, leading to the loss of ILK in conservation practices in Africa (Anwar 2011; Ayaa and Waswa 2016; Eyong 2007; Horsthemke 2004; Makwara 2013). Generally, marginalization is linked to other factors, such as globalization, modernization, the spread of Christianity, and the adoption of colonial Western science and culture (Maunganidze 2016). This supported the claim of the participants in this study, who pointed out Christianity as a key factor that is erasing the existing cultural knowledge in the communities. Similarly, in Tanzania, as Christianity is gaining popularity in Indigenous communities, most young people are transforming their traditional culture, beliefs, and local lifestyles to meet Western culture models (Selemani 2020). As reported in our study and others (Hari 2020; Mapara 2009; Roué et al. 2017), young people do not use such knowledge in conservation practices in the way it was previously used by their elders. This has created a lot of contestations and tensions within Indigenous communities in Zimbabwe, for instance, as the old generation wanted the young to perpetuate their tradition (Maunganidze 2016). In the MTBR, participants reported that the young generation is leaving their roots and giving more consideration to modern practices that came from outside. This may explain the halting of the knowledge transmission from one generation to another. This is consistent with Makwara’s (2013) findings in Zimbabwe, which showed that the old generation is dying with decades of accumulated Indigenous practices without transmitting them to the new generation. Besides the death of ILK practice holders, forced or deliberate emigration of IPLCs, the influence of Western knowledge, and Christianity are halting the successful implementation of ILK practices in mangrove conservation practices in the MTBR (Tcheton et al. 2025). This is likely to negatively impact mangrove ecosystem sustainability in the reserve and therefore put them at risk of severe degradation.

Future of Mangroves within the Context of Food, Climate, and Biodiversity from the View of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

Our findings supported the idea that there will be a severe degradation of mangroves in the future due to the lack of use of ILK in conserving mangroves and sustaining food, climate, and biodiversity. As the authors already pointed out, the future of mangrove ecosystems in providing food to local communities and supporting biodiversity is unpredictable (Yessoufou and Stoffberg 2016). Especially in the Benin Republic, such a future is uncertain, as many studies have demonstrated the key role played by Indigenous practices in conserving the natural ecosystems (Djagoun et al. 2022; Gnansounou et al. 2024). For instance, in the MTBR, the implementation of traditional beliefs and local deities associated with mangroves has reduced anthropogenic pressures (Gnansounou et al. 2024). As demonstrated in a comparative study between the Benin Republic and Togo in the MTBR, mangroves are severely degraded on the Togolese side of the reserve, most likely because local stakeholders are no longer incorporating customary laws and traditional means into their conservation (Gnansounou et al. 2022b).

The participants in this study claimed that key biodiversity species, such as birds, monkeys, and crocodiles, are disappearing at an escalating rate, and there is a need to reconnect with the experiences and skills of IPCLs to halt the extinction and support the human-nature relationship. For instance, in South Africa, their knowledge has been described as a crucial instrument in protecting the remaining Indigenous forests (Sinthumule and Mashau 2020) or setting Indigenous rules and regulations for ecosystem services management in rural communities in Ghana (Boafo et al. 2016). Similar patterns have been found in forest management practices in Eastern Nigeria (Chukwuone, Kehinde, and Chukwuone 2020), and South-central Ethiopia (Tamene et al., 2024). Recently, Tcheton et al. (2025) documented the experiences and skills of IPLCs in the form of beliefs and taboos in conserving the local biodiversity and sustaining the cultural values of mangrove ecosystems in the MTBR. Such a study informed their importance in preserving biocultural diversity in the reserve. Historically, IPLCs have sustainably cared for biodiversity and natural ecosystems in many countries in Africa. In the Benin Republic, findings show that the use of local beliefs and customary laws through Indigenous initiatives can be an effective strategy that benefits the quest for mangrove ecosystem sustainability in the reserve (Tcheton et al. 2025b, in preparation). Even though those initiatives are not yet widely accepted or well-known worldwide, they are contributing to safeguarding the ILK practices in food provision, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation in the reserve.