Examining the Effectiveness of a Protected Areas Network in the Conservation of Kigelia africana under Climate Change by 2050 in Benin

Abstract

Sustainability of Kigelia africana species passes throughout their conservation. Protected area is recognised as the granary of species populations. Kigelia africana is an indigenous species and traditionally contributes to the resilience in term of health insurance, source of income, reduction of poverty and stability of the biodiversity. This study determines to find out 1) how Kigelia africana species populations’ distributions may be affected under future climate scenarios, and 2) how well protected areas contribute to the conservation of Kigelia africana plant species. Available bioclimatic and soil data layers were used for the modelling with maximum entropy approaches, and resulting maps were overlaid on the existing protected areas network. Results showed that species distribution remains mainly much stable and the relationships with protected areas networks suggest that protected portions of species distributions will also remain stable.