Vulnerability and morphometric characteristics of hunting game species in the Lama Forest Reserve (Southern Benin republic)

Abstract

Protected areas play an important role in the sustainable conservation of biodiversity. In southern Benin Republic, the Lama Forest Reserve is a refuge for wildlife. It also generates significant incomes for the local population. However, anthropogenic activities together with uncontrolled hunting are increasingly threatening the sustainability of these resources. The study aims at investigating the hunting activities characteristics and the morphometric traits of hunted species in the Lama Forest Reserve. Snowball method has been used to constitute the sample of field respondents. Descriptive and inference statistics have been carried out to show results and analyze data. The results show that twenty-three species are mainly hunted, more for trade than for subsistence, with a dominance of mammals. It should be noted that hunting activities don’t have the same level among hunted games, species and sexes although this is not generally significant statistically.