How a spiritual practice is preserving Benin's mangroves

In the past decade, an NGO partnership with Vodun spiritual leaders has preserved about 500 hectares of mangroves in Benin by designating them as sacred sites, a strategy the Beninese government now incorporates into its official environmental policy. Mangrove cover in the country had decreased by 29% between 1995 and 2015, making this intervention significant.

The strategy has preserved 500 hectares, but Benin's mangroves remain under pressure from logging, salt production, and other threats; long-term success depends on sustained enforcement and community compliance.