MODELISATION DES NICHES CLIMATIQUES DE DEUX ESPECES D’OISEAUX GIBIERS D’EAU MENACES AU SUD DU BENIN

Birds of wetlands in southern of Benin are very threatened because of
the human pressures. Some of them are very hunting like birds game for
therapeutic, food and practices by local populations. More appraisals
are:Porphyrio alleni and Porphyrio porphyrio.
To predict the habitats of these species for the effects of climatic
changes which are announced and to avoid a biodiversity decline in
Benin, a study on the modeling of climatic niches was doing on these 2
species in Ramsar sites 1017 and 1018.
The bird’s census method used is based on point’s count of 15 minutes.
The various tools and methods for analyses used related to coordinate
points of the presence sites of species and modeling of their niche under
the climatic models CCCMA (Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling
and Analysis) et CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation) using MAXENT 3.3.2. program.
Results showed that among the variables selected with the prediction of
climatic models of the two species of water birds, the distance water
(Diswater) and altitude (alt) appeared like the environmental variables
having more contributed to the prediction of the models.
On average 74.32 % for the variable outdistance compared to 12.94 %
and river for altitude.
Projection under CCCMA and CSIRO in 2050 showed that on the scale
of Benin, all the species will be in the future confined in habitats of
survival.
This work contributes to constitute data base for the habitats prediction
of these 2 birds’ species and can be exploited for installation and
conservation by managers of protected areas in Benin.