Background
Lake Nokoué is situated in the densely populated coastal area of Benin – surrounded by the two large cities of Cotonou in the southwest and the capital Porto-Novo in the northeast. Both cities have over one million inhabitants. The lake itself and the mouth of the Ouémé River form a vast wetland area where rare and endangered species such as the African Manatee, a species of sea cows (genus: Sirenia) and the water kudu, a very rare antelope species in West Africa, can be found.
The mangrove forests at the transition between the lagoons and the open sea form a particularly valuable habitat worth protecting. The conservation of the mangroves is of great importance not only for the survival of rare animal and plant species but also for local coastal fishing, which feeds hundreds of thousands of families in West Africa. For this reason, the Basse Vallée de l'Ouémé, the Lagune de Porto-Novo and the Lac Nokoué have been designated as Ramsar Protected Areas of International Importance (No. 1.018) since 2000.
Despite their protected status, the human pressure to use these areas is constantly increasing, especially from the two nearby cities of Cotonou and Porto-Novo. To make matters worse, law and regulations for the protection of natural resources in Benin, as in other West African countries, often cannot be enforced. The competent authorities simply lack money and staff. Natural resources, in particular fish, timber and water, are also important sources of income for the local population, who often live in poverty. Unpurified sewage and urban waste, pesticides, fertilizers and organic matter have long led to a steady deterioration in water quality in Lake Nokoué and Ouémé River. Moreover, the manatees found there are increasingly hunted directly because of their meat. This happens regardless of their protected status, as fish stocks are constantly declining due to overexploitation and water quality degradation, forcing people to hunt the last remaining large mammals.