Transhumance in Protected Areas in Benin

Every year, protected areas and regions in West Africa receive transhumant herds. This movement of herds from the dry zone (the Sahelian region) to more humid costal zones is a tradition for the Fulani people. In general, protected areas in West Africa are located at the border of the Sahelian zones through which most transhumants must pass. This periodic movement has an impact on natural resources and the people in the reception zones, especially around and in the protected areas. The objectives of the study were to define and describe the type of transhumant cattle breeding systems around these protected areas, to deduce impacts on population and environment of this system and to provide suggestions for better management of cattle breeding and transhumance around protected area