Towards sustainable management of Lake Nokoué: intelligent monitoring and improvement of practices Acadja

This project is led by “Drone Expertise Sarl (DREX)”. Lake Nokoué, one of the most important aquatic ecosystems in southern Benin, is under increasing pressure due to the uncontrolled expansion of Acadja, a traditional fishing technique based on the installation of branches. Although essential to the livelihoods of local communities, this practice, when intensified, contributes to the degradation of water quality, biodiversity loss and conflicts of use between lake stakeholders.

Faced with these challenges, this initiative aims to strengthen the sustainable management of Lake Nokoué through an integrated approach combining intelligent environmental monitoring, community engagement and support for decision-making. Building on activities already carried out in the field, including drone data collection, awareness-raising actions and interactions with fishing communities in several areas of the lake as well as in the Ramsar 1017 site, the project aims to structure and deploy an operational system for monitoring and managing Acadja’s practices.

The initiative is based on the use of drones to map and monitor the evolution of Acadja over time, coupled with analyses to identify environmentally sensitive areas and produce useful information for decision-makers. At the same time, it promotes the involvement of local communities through awareness-raising, dialogue and co-management actions aimed at promoting more sustainable fishing practices. Ultimately, the project will contribute to improving the ecological quality of the lake, reducing conflicts of use and strengthening the socio-economic resilience of riparian communities. It also has strong potential for replication in other West African lagoon ecosystems facing similar challenges.