Future of the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus: Evidence From Indigenous and Local Peoples of the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Benin Republic-Togo) in West Africa

With a rapidly expanding population of people in Africa, the demand for food is predicted to increase, with a need for higher environmental sustainability. As such, meeting food consumption needs while continuing on track to limit global warming below 1.5°C and reverse biodiversity loss is referred to as the Food-Climate-Biodiversity challenges posed by the Anthropocene era. The nexus Food-Climate-Biodiversity is complex and interconnected, and solving it requires bridging diverse sources of experience and knowledge. Using the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve that extends across the Togo and the Benin Republic boundary as a case study, this paper explores the future of such a nexus from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities based on their cultural and local knowledge. We conducted six focus group discussions with 57 participants from six villages located in the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve between February and April 2024. The study explored experiences and perceptions of the Food-Climate-Biodiversity nexus, the benefits and possible threats impacting it, the role played by Indigenous and Local Knowledge, and the perceived future. Findings demonstrated that despite the foregoing functional importance of mangrove ecosystems, they are disappearing rapidly due to anthropogenic actions, and their future in supporting sustainable food production, regulating drastic weather patterns, and conserving key biodiversity species is full of uncertainties. This study stressed the need to reintegrate Indigenous and Local Knowledge in conservation practices in order to change the current trajectory of the nexus Food Climate Biodiversity.