HLANZOUN FOREST, B,nin, July 31, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - In the freshwater swamp
forest of Hlanzoun in southern Benin, majestic trees hum with chirping birds
and playful monkeys.

  Home to once bustling flora and fauna, experts now warn that the fragile
environment, one of the last of its kind in the West African country and
accessible only by canoe, is at risk of disappearing.

  The 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of forest, which takes its name from the
river Hlan, is home to 241 plant and 160 animal species including the rare
red-bellied monkey, the marsh mongoose and the sitatunga, a swamp-dwelling
antelope.

  Perched at the top of a gigantic tree squawks a hornbill -- a big bird
known for its long, down-curved and colourful bill, similar to toucans.

  "Hornbills feed on insects and fruits. They like to follow monkeys around
because they force insects to come out when they move around, making it
easier for hornbills to catch," explained Vincent Romera, a French
ornithologist and photographer.

  With his binoculars, Romera admires a family of monkeys jumping from tree
to tree, while keeping a clear distance.

  "The animals here have become fearful," he says. He's considering using
camera traps to try to photograph them, but also to count the forest's animal
population.

  "The numbers are in free-fall," he says.

  Sometimes, the forest's noisy concert is interrupted by gun shots, he says,
probably from poachers.

  - Logging -

  Communities living around the forest "need money, so those who can shoot go
and kill animals," explained Roger Hounkanrin, a local tourist guide.

  Despite steady economic growth in recent years, poverty is widespread in
Benin, especially in rural areas, and 40 percent of the population lives
below the poverty line according to World Bank data.

  On the side of the road that lines Hlanzoun forest, lizards, crocodiles and
snakes killed by hunters are sold and bought. Monkeys, too, are sometimes
sold for meat.

  But even more than poaching, excessive logging threatens the forest.

  Between 2005 and 2015, Benin's forest cover was slashed by more than 20
percent according to the World Bank, and the deforestation rate continues to
be high at 2.2 percent annually.

  Trees are cut down for firewood, and the fermented sap of palm trees is
used to make a local alcohol, sodabi.

  The damaging practice of slash-and burn agriculture has also become more
prevalent, warned Josea Dossou Bodjrenou, director of Nature Tropicale, a
non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works on environmental issues in
Benin.

  The destruction of the forest habitat reduces areas where animals can
thrive, forcing them towards farms to find food and exposing them to
poachers.

  "This is a location that is at risk of disappearing," said local
agricultural economist Judicael Alladatin.

  "It's a poor area and we can't blame people for wanting to feed
themselves," Alladatin said, urging authorities "to create conditions for
alternative sources of income."

  The government does not officially recognise Hlanzoun forest despite
lobbying efforts of several NGOs and scientific papers on the forest since
2000.

  But it has started to recognise the importance of safeguarding forests in
general, according to the World Bank, with recently updated forest policy and
tax systems.

  In Hlanzoun, the state "must act quickly" said Bodjrenou, and "support
forest communities so that they can continue to make profit... but in a
different way" by developing agriculture, trade and sustainable tourism.