Animal Info - Benin

(Formerly Dahomey)

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Benin and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Endangered:
- Red-bellied Monkey (Cercopithecus erythrogaster).
- Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus).
Vulnerable:
- African Elephant (Loxodonta africana).
- African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata).
- Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).
- Fox's Shrew (Crocidura foxi).
- Ja Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris major).
- Lion (Panthera leo).
- Red-fronted Gazelle (Gazella rufifrons).
- Spotted-necked Otter (Lutra maculicollis).
- West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).
- White-thighed Black-and-white Colobus (Colobus vellerosus).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 188 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 0 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 9 (5 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 11 (6 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Benin contains portions of the Congolian Coastal Forests, Gulf of Guinea Rivers & Crater Lakes, Guinean-Congolian Coast Mangroves, and Gulf of Guinea Marine Ecosystems Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 5,409,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 48.0 people/sq km (124.4 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 6,100,799 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 3.2 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 112,623 sq km (43,484 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Other Coastal Aquatic: 6 %
Grass and Shrub: 76 %
Crop and Settlements: 6 %
Interrupted Woods: 12 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 13 %; Medium: 64 %; High: 24 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 8,440 sq km (3,258 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 7.49 % totally protected; 0 % partially protected, 7.49 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $389 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $1,440 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent adult literacy: Female: 16 % (1990), 8 % (1970); Male: 32 % (1990), 23 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Benin): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles

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Last modified: February 19, 2006;