Assessing the Effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in the Conservation of Nesting Waterbirds in Benin, West Africa

The longest-standing international treaty for wetland and waterbird protection, the Ramsar Convention has resulted in the establishment of more than 2500 protected areas covering over 2.5 million square kilometers around the world. However, its measures are not legally binding, and its effectiveness as a tool for wildlife conservation has rarely been quantitatively assessed. In Benin, West Africa, breeding waterbirds are subjected to intense hunting and egg harvesting for both commercial and subsistence purposes. We quantified count data of waterbirds and eggs taken by local hunters and trappers to assess the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention as a wildlife conservation tool in southeastern Benin. During the six-month period between May and October 2022, 64 people reported harvesting a total of 12,053 breeding waterbirds and 63,987 eggs, comprising eight species in three families in Ramsar site 1018. Birds most heavily targeted included Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni), with 4187 breeding birds taken (~35% of all birds captured), and the White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata), with 24,491 eggs taken (~38% of all eggs taken) over the course of a single breeding season. The Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Lesser Moorhen (Paragallinula angulata) were the third and fourth most targeted bird species, respectively, followed by the African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis), Black Crake (Zapornia flavirostra), African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus), and African Crake (Cecropsis egregia). Captured waterbirds were sold live at local markets, while eggs were eaten by hunters, except eggs containing chicks, which were discarded. Our findings show heavy persecution of waterbirds during their breeding season, when nesting birds are especially vulnerable to human predation, on a scale that is likely unprecedented and threatens to drive declines of targeted species in Benin. As local residents do not currently appear to recognize any deterrents to the uncontrolled hunting of breeding waterbirds or the collection of eggs in Ramsar site 1018, there is an urgent need to better leverage the Ramsar Convention to enforce conservation practices in this region.