CfRN kicked off the partnership by holding five days of in-person workshops. The first workshop training aimed to increase knowledge about tools for the preparation of Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Forest and other Land Use sectors submissions. Specifically, the focus was on capacity building for developing a national protocol for collecting land-use and land-use change data at the national level through systematic sampling using the CfRN land use assessment application (CFRN LUA APP). The workshops were attended by 45 experts from Benin’s ministries and climate agencies, including the deputy director of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the director general of DG Environment and Climate.

Benin is situated in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the northwest, and Niger to the northeast. The majority of its 11.5M population lives on the southern coastline of Benin. This geography makes it vulnerable to climate change, which will affect the economy and population.

Benin has fields, mangroves, and remnants of forests. Some forests line the banks of rivers. In the north and the northwest of Benin, the Reserve du W du Niger and Pendjari National Park has elephants, lions, antelopes, hippos, and monkeys. Pendjari National Park, together with the bordering Parks Arli and W in Burkina Faso and Niger, are among the strongholds for the endangered West African lion. With an estimated 356 (range: 246–466) lions, W-Arli-Pendjari harbors the largest remaining population of lions in West Africa.

Benin already submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) and Third National Communication (TNC) to UNFCCC REDD+ in 2019. An Inter-ministerial Order was signed in 2017 to structure the national institutions to participate in implementing REDD+ at the national level. The country also has two decrees of December 2022 for the creation of a Registration Authority at the national level and participating in the carbon market under the Paris Agreement.

The country wishes to engage in REDD+ under the UNFCCC and produce the requested reports, including the Forest Reference Level and the REDD+ strategy. For this, new data must be collected to produce a quality report that will influence future national policy decisions.

The partnership will continue with initial data collection efforts and virtual weekly meetings between the two teams.

The workshops were attended by 45 experts from Benin’s ministries and climate agencies, including the deputy director of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the director general of DG Environment and Climate.