Author(s)

Menson Richard Somanin^1*, Baba Kayodé Eben-Ezer Ewedje¹, Akossibe Ismaël Batcho¹, Ezin Paul Ogan¹, Augustin Orou Matilo², Cossi Aristide Adomou³, Hounnakpon Yedomonhan³

¹Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques (UNSTIM), Abomey, Bénin.
²Unité de Recherche Forestière Appliquée, Direction Générale des Eaux, Forêts et Chasses, Ministère du Cadre de Vie et du Développement Durable, Cotonou, Bénin.
³Laboratoire de Botanique et Ecologie Végétale (LaBEV), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST), Université d’Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Cotonou, Bénin.

The disappearance of resources with high genetic potential and great utility for people and the challenge of the conservation and sustainable management of these resources are two opposing facts of which the world is now concerned. In Benin, forests and agroforestry systems complement each other in wood supply for mortar and pestle manufacture. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the diversity of woody species used for mortar and pestle manufacture and to analyze the preferences of manufacturers through an ethnobotanical approach. Based on the snowball sampling method, and interviews with 112 manufacturers from different ethnic groups, we identified 31 tree species. These species belong to 30 genera and 13 plant families. The Fabaceae are more represented with 14 species (i.e. 45% of the total). Ten are frequently used. But there are four species, such as Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn., Prosopis africana (Guill. & Perr.) Taub., Terminalia glaucescens Planch. ex Benth. and Pericopsis laxiflora (Benth.) Meeuwen, which are highly preferred by manufacturers respectively. The calculation of the Indexes of Possession of Global Knowledge (IPSG) revealed that the ethnic group Nagot (0.204) possessed more knowledge and is followed by Mahi (0.201) and Fon (0.18) respectively. Forests and agroforestry systems are both supply sites for manufacturers. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test proved that there are no significant differences between the species’ preference for mortars or pestles manufacture (v = 181, p-value = 0.38). Since the trees cutting in agroforestry systems can be destructive to them, provisions such as the promotion of agroforestry in rural areas and the integration of the used species in the reforestations programs must be taken to curb the pressure and contribute to the conservation of the biodiversity.

Agroforestry Systems, Benin, Diversity, Forest, Mortars and Pestles, Uses, Woody Species

Somanin, M. , Ewedje, B. , Batcho, A. , Ogan, E. , Matilo, A. , Adomou, C. and Yedomonhan, H. (2023) Diversity and Importance of Benin’s Forests and Agroforestry Systems Woody Species in Mortars and Pestles Manufacture. Open Journal of Forestry, 13, 45-60. doi: 10.4236/ojf.2023.131004.