In recent years, LDN has been promoted as an effective mechanism to reverse land
degradation. In Benin, as in several other countries that depend on forests to meet their commitments to international environmental agreements and agendas, policy actions and forest management measures proposed to meet LDN targets often involve reinforcing conservation priorities and regard forest-adjacent communities as the sole cause of forest degradation.

The findings of the pilot research to support the implementation of the UNCCD Decision 26/COP14 on land tenure highlights the critical need to integrate communities’ legitimate rights to forest land and resources into LDN targets.

Moreover, the findings of this study highlight the urgency of supporting women’s access to forest land and resources to minimize adverse effects of LDN implementation on the achievement of other SDG goals.

To reach Benin’s LDN targets while respecting community rights to forest land and resources, it is important to consider and acknowledge that:
 

• Current efforts to achieve LDN in Benin risk violating forest-dependent communities’ legitimate rights to forest land and resources.

• Forest-dependent communities need formalized and secured mechanisms that guarantee long-term access to and use of forest land and resources to invest in sustainable land management practices.

It is vital to address the increasing degradation of forest resources. However, expelling forest dependent communities from, or drastically limiting their access to forest resources, has far-reaching consequences for livelihoods and food security.

The conflicts, exacerbated by an increasing lack of trust between the main forest management stakeholder groups, will not only compromise the foundations to effectively reconcile forest conservation goals and communities’ livelihood needs, but also jeopardize the achievement of Benin’s LDN targets.