[en] Intensive erosion has affected the coastal zone of Cotonou for several decades. An analysis of satellite images
showed an average coastline retreat of 115 m in the study area over the period 2002–2013 with several hundred
houses destroyed. Since 2014, a stabilisation of the coastline is observed. This study aimed at identifying the atrisk population and at analysing the perceptions of people who experience and those who manage coastal erosion
risk, as well as the responses adopted. Based on four criteria and their hierarchy, we identified five profiles of
inhabitants in this risk zone. (1) Wealthy people who leave the zone when they are affected or (2) fall into the
category of people in danger in case they cannot migrate. (3) Fishermen who deliberately stay near the sea. (4)
The most precarious people, trapped in the risk zone. Finally, (5) poor newcomers who continually increase the
at-risk population. With the recent stabilisation of the coastline, the national authorities manage the “hazard”
component of the risk. However, the majority of the population is not serene. The anthropogenic stress linked to
evictions gradually replaced the stress to be engulfed by the sea. We conclude that the “vulnerability” component
of the risk is not yet resolved. All categories of the population in this sensitive area need to be secured. Cooperation among multiple levels of governance, the application of land use planning regulations and of the Kampala
Convention and the involvement of local communities are all measures which will enable to meet this objective.
Disciplines :
Physical, chemical, mathematical & earth Sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others Earth sciences & physical geography Social & behavioral sciences, psychology: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
De Longueville, Florence
Hountondji, Yvon ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Département de géographie
Ozer, Pierre ; Université de Liège - ULiège > DER Sc. et gest. de l'environnement (Arlon Campus Environ.) > DER Sc. et gest. de l'environnement (Arlon Campus Environ.)
Language :
English
Title :
Perceptions of and responses to coastal erosion risks: The case of Cotonou in Benin
European Union Seventh Framework Programme Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur (Belgique). Coopération au Développement - ARES. CCD CE - Commission Européenne [BE]
Coca-Domínguez, O., Ricaurte-Villota, C., Validation of the hazard and vulnerability analysis of coastal erosion in the caribbean and pacific coast of Colombia. J. Mar. Sci. Eng., 7(8), 2019, 260, 10.3390/jmse7080260.
Armah, A.K., Wiafe, G., Kpelle, D.G., Sea level rise and coastal biodiversity in West Africa: a case study from Ghana. Low, P.S., (eds.) Climate Change and Africa, 2005, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 204–217, 10.1017/CBO9780511535864.029.
Boateng, I., Wiafe, G., Jayson-Quashigah, P.N., Mapping vulnerability and risk of Ghana's coastline to sea level rise. Mar. Geodes. 40:1 (2017), 23–39, 10.1080/01490419.2016.1261745.
Dossou, K.M., Glehouenou-Dossou, B., The vulnerability to climate change of Cotonou (Benin) the rise in sea level. Environ. Urbanization 19 (2007), 65–79, 10.1177/0956247807077149.
Leatherman, S.P., Social and economic costs of sea level rise. Int. Geophys. 75 (2001), 181–223, 10.1016/S0074-6142(01)80011-5.
Pilkey, O.H., Cooper, J.A.G., Society and sea level rise. Science 303 (2004), 1781–1782, 10.1126/science.1093515.
Appeaning Addo, K., Shoreline morphological changes and the human factor. Case study of Accra Ghana. J. Coast Conserv. 17 (2013), 85–91, 10.1007/s.11852-012-0220-5.
Giardino, A., Schrijvershof, R., Nederhoff, C.M., de Vroeg, H., Brière, C., Tonnon, P.K., et al. A quantitative assessment of human interventions and climate change on the West African sediment budget. Ocean Coast Manag. 156 (2018), 249–265, 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.11.008.
Hoque, M.A.A., Ahmed, N., Pradhan, B., Roy, S., Assessment of coastal vulnerability to multi-hazardous events using geospatial techniques along the eastern coast of Bangladesh. Ocean Coast Manag., 181, 2019, 104898, 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019 104898.
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Pachauri, R.K., Meyer, L.A., (eds.) Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, (eds.), 2014, IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151.
Jevrejeva, S., Moore, J.C., Grinsted, A., Sea level projections to AD2500 with a new generation of climate change scenarios. Global Planet. Change 80 (2012), 14–20, 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.09.006.
Zhang, K.Q., Douglas, B.C., Leatherman, S.P., Global warming and coastal erosion. Climatic Change 64 (2004), 41–58, 10.1023/B:CLIM.0000024690.32682.48.
Ericson, J.P., Vörösmarty, C.J., Dingman, S.L., Ward, L.G., Meybeck, M., Effective sea level rise and deltas: causes of change and human dimension implications. Global Planet. Change 50:1 (2006), 63–82, 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2005.07.004.
Melet, A., Almar, R., Meyssignac, B., What dominates sea level at the coast: a case study for the Gulf of Guinea. Ocean Dynam. 66 (2016), 623–633, 10.1007/s10236-016-0942-2.
Touré, B., Kouamé, K.F., Souleye, W., Collet, C., Affian, K., Ozer, A., Rudant, J.-P., Biémi, J., L'influence des actions anthropiques dans l’évolution historique d'un littoral sableux à forte dérive sédimentaire: la baie de Port-Bouët (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire). Géomorphol. Relief, Process. Environ. 18:3 (2012), 369–382, 10.4000/geomorphologie.9990.
Codjia, C., Application de la télédétection à l'étude des changements urbains et des transformations du littoral à Cotonou (Bénin). Universités francophones. 1997, Actualité scientifique, 299–306.
Kaki, C., Laïbi, R.A., Oyédé, L.M., Evolution of Beninese coastline from 1963 to 2005: causes and consequences. Br. J. Environ. Clim. Change 1 (2011), 216–231.
Ago, E.E., Petit, F., Ozer, P., Analyse des inondations en aval du barrage de Nangbeto sur le fleuve Mono (Togo et au Bénin). Geo-Eco-Trop 29 (2005), 1–14.
Ozer, P., Hountondji, Y.-C., de Longueville, F., Evolution récente du trait de côte dans le Golfe du Bénin. Exemples du Togo et du Bénin. Geo-Eco-Trop 41 (2017), 529–541.
Ndour, A., Laïbi, R.A., Sadio, M., Degbe, C.G., Diaw, A.T., Oyédé, L.M., et al. Management strategies for coastal erosion problems in West Africa: analysis, issues, and constraints drawn from the examples of Senegal and Benin. Ocean Coast Manag. 156 (2018), 92–106, 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.09.001.
Prudencio, É.H., Singh, B., André, P., Vulnérabilité de la zone côtière du Bénin à un rehaussement relatif du niveau marin: état de la question et préconisations/Vulnerability of the Coastal Zone of Benin to a Relative Sea level Rise: state of the Problem and Recommendations. Annales de géographie, JSTOR 623 (2002), 25–40.
Amoani, K., Appeaning Addo, K., Laryea, W., Short-term shoreline evolution trend assessment: a case study in Glefe, Ghana. Jamba: J Disaster Risk Stud 4 (2012), 1–7, 10.4102/jamba.v4i1.45.
Amoako, G., Boamah, F.E., The three-dimensional causes of flooding in Accra, Ghana. Int. J. Urban Sustain. Dev. 7:1 (2014), 109–129, 10.1080/19463138.2014.984720.
Jonah, F.E., Adams, O., Aheto, D.W., Jonah, R.E., Mensah, E.A., Coastal zone management challenge in Ghana: issues associated with coastal sediment mining. J. Coast Conserv. 21 (2017), 343–353, 10.10007/s11852-017-0511-y.
de Andrade, T.S., de Oliveira Sousa, P.H.G., Siegle, E., Vulnerability to beach erosion based on a coastal processes approach. Appl. Geogr. 102 (2019), 12–19, 10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.11.003.
Gomez, M.L.A., Adelegan, O.J., Ntajal, J., Trawally, D., Vulnerability to coastal erosion in the Gambia: empirical experience from Gunjur. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 45, 2020, 101439, 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101439.
Frick-Trzebitzky, F., Baghel, R., Bruns, A., Institutional bricolage and the production of vulnerability to floods in an urbanising delta in Accra. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 26 (2017), 57–68, 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.09.030.
Jonah, F.E., Mensah, E.A., Edziyie, R.E., Agbo, N.W., Adjei-ris, D., Coastal erosion in Ghana: causes, policies, and management. Coast. Manag. 44:2 (2016), 116–130, 10.1080/08920753.2016.1135273.
Seto, K.C., Exploring the dynamics of migration to mega-delta cities in Asia and Africa: contemporary drivers and future scenarios. Global Environ. Change 21 (2011), S94–S107, 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.08.005.
Islam, M.A., Mitra, D., Dewan, A., Akhter, S.H., Coastal multi-hazard vulnerability assessment along the Ganges deltaic coast of Bangladesh–A geospatial approach. Ocean Coast Manag. 127 (2016), 1–15, 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.03.012.
Sahoo, B., Bhaskaran, P.K., Multi-hazard risk assessment of coastal vulnerability from tropical cyclones–A GIS based approach for the Odisha coast. J. Environ. Manag. 206 (2018), 1166–1178, 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.10.075.
Montgomery, M., The urban transformation of the developing world. Science 319 (2008), 761–764, 10.1126/science.1153012.
Balk, D., McGranahan, G., Anderson, B., Urbanization ad ecosystems: current patterns and future implications. Martine, G., McGrahanan, G., Montgomery, M., Fernandez-Castilla, R., (eds.) The New Global Frontier: Urbanization, Poverty and Environment in the 21th Century, 2008, UNFPA, 183–202.
Huq, S., Kovats, S., Reid, H., Satterthwaite, D., Editorial: reducing risks to cities from disasters and climate change. Environ. Urbanization 19 (2007), 3–15, 10.1177/0956247807078058.
Narra, P., Coelho, C., Sancho, F., Escudero, M., Silva, R., Coastal hazard assessments for sandy coasts: appraisal of five methodologies. J. Coast Res. 35:3 (2019), 574–589, 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-18-00083.1.
Adamo, S.B., Environmental migration and cities in the context of global environmental change. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainaibility 2 (2010), 161–165, 10.1016/j.cosust.2010.06.005.
Osuteye, E., Johnson, C., Brown, D., The data gap: an analysis of data availability on disaster losses in sub-saharan African cities. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 26 (2017), 24–33, 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.09.026.
Balk, D., Montgomery, M., McGranahan, G., Kim, D., Mara, V., Todd, M., Buettner, T., Dorelien, A., Mapping urban settlements and the risks of climate change in Africa, Asia and South America. Guzmán, J.M., Martine, G., McGranahan, G., Schensul, D., Tacoli, C., (eds.) Population Dynamics and Climate Change, 2009, UNFPA, IIED (Chapter 5, pp. 80–103).
Tacoli, C., Crisis or adaptation? Migration and climate change in a context of high mobility. Environ. Urbanization 21 (2009), 513–525, 10.1177/0956247809342182.
Wheeler, D., Quantifying Vulnerability to Climate Change: Implications for Adaptation Assistance. 2011, Center for Global Development Working Paper 240.
Perch-Nielsen, S.L., Bättig, M.B., Imboden, D., Exploring the link between climate change and migration. Climatic Change 91 (2008), 375–393, 10.1007/s10584-008-9416-y.
Luo, S., Cai, F., Liu, H., Lei, G., Qi, H., Su, X., Adaptive measures adopted for risk reduction of coastal erosion in the People's Republic of China. Ocean Coast Manag. 103 (2015), 134–145, 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.08.008.
MEHU. Stratégie Nationale de mise en œuvre au Bénin de la Convention Cadre des Nations Unies sur les Changements Climatiques. 2003, MEHU, Cotonou, 80.
Makponse, M., Hounsou, B., Dynamique de la côte apres la realisation des épis, ouvrages de protection situés à l'Est de l’épi de Siafato a Cotonou au sud-Bénin. J. Rech. Sci. Université Lomé, 19(1), 2017.
Choi, K.H., Kim, J.S., Lee, J.C., Migration of coastal erosional hotspots due to coastal protection structures. Special Issue, No. 75 Vila-Concejo, A., Bruce, E., Kennedy, D.M., McCarroll, R.J., (eds.) Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, 2016, 1062–1066 Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.
Degbe, C.G.E., Evolution du trait de côte du littoral béninois de 2011 à 2014. Sciences de la vie, de la terre et agronomie, 5(1), 2017.
Meur-Ferec, C., Guillou, E., Interest of Social Representations Theory to grasp coastal vulnerability and to enhance coastal risk management. PsyEcology 11:1 (2019), 78–89, 10.1080/21711976.2019.1644003f.
Donner, W., Rodriguez, H., Population composition, migration and inequality: the influence of demographic changes on disaster risk and vulnerability. Soc. Forces 87 (2008), 1089–1114, 10.1353/sof.0.0141.
Potts, D., The slowing of sub-Saharan Africa's urbanization: evidence and implications for urban livelihoods. Environ. Urbanization 21 (2009), 253–259, 10.1177/0956247809103026.
Sireyjol, P., Transit littoral et conception des ports: l'exemple du port de Cotonou (Dahomey). La Houille Blanche 5–6 (1977), 401–408.
Codjoe, S.N.A., Nyamedor, F.H., Sward, J., Dovie, D.B., Environmental hazard and migration intentions in a coastal area in Ghana: a case of sea flooding. Popul. Environ. 39 (2017), 128–146, 10.1007/s11111-017-0284-0.
McLeman, R., Smit, B., Migration as an adaptation to climate change. Climatic Change 76 (2006), 31–53, 10.1007/s10584-005-9000-7.
Carling, J., Migration in the age of involuntary mobility: theorical reflections and Cape Verdean experiences. Journal of Ethic and Migration Studies 28 (2002), 5–42, 10.1080/13691830120103912.
Black, R., Arnell, N.W., Adger, W.N., Thomas, D., Geddes, A., Migration, immobility and displacement outcomes following extreme events. Environ. Sci. Pol. 27 (2013), S32–S43, 10.1016/j.envsci.2012.09.001.
Warner, K., Afifi, T., Enhancing adaptation options and managing human mobility: the united nations framework convention on climate change. Soc. Res.: Int. Q. 81:2 (2014), 299–326.
Bilsborrow, R., Collecting data on the migration-environment nexus. Lackzo, F., Aghazarm, C., (eds.) Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Assessing the Evidence, IOM, UNU-EHS, CCEMA, 2009, Rockefeller Foundation, 115–198.
Black, R., Adger, W.N., Arnell, N.W., Dercon, S., Geddes, A., Thomas, D., The effect of environmental change on human migration. Global Environ. Change 21 (2011), S3–S11, 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.001.
de Sherbinin, A., Schiller, A., Pulsipher, A., The vulnerability of global cities to climate hazards. Environ. Urbanization 19 (2007), 39–64, 10.1177/0956247807076725.
Hardoy, J., Pandiella, G., Urban Poverty and vulnerability to climate change in Latin America. Environ. Urbanization 21 (2009), 203–224, 10.1177/0956247809103019.
de Sherbinin, A., Levy, M., Adamo, S., MacManus, K., Yetman, G., Mara, V., Razafindrazay, L., Goodrich, B., Srebotnjak, T., Aichele, C., Pistolesi, P., Migration and risk: net migration in marginal ecosystems and hazardous areas. Environ. Res. Lett., 7, 2012, 045602, 10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/045602.
Sturm-Hentschel, U., Braun, A.C., Hinz, S., Vogt, J., Detecting and characterizing settlement changes in developing countries using VHSR data: case of the coastal area of Benin. Krisp, J., Meng, L., Pail, R., Stilla, U., (eds.) Earth Observation of Global Changes (EOGC). Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, 2013, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 10.1007/978-3-642-32714-8_5.
Assogba, L.P., Etude de la dynamique du trait de côte et des stratégies de gestion du risque d'érosion côtière : cas de Cotonou au Bénin de 1955 à 2018. 2018, Université de Liège, 47p.
Teka, O., Sturm-Hentschel, U., Vogt, J., Bähr, H.-P., Hinz, S., Sinsin, B., Process analysis in the coastal zone of Benin through remote sensing and socio-economic surveys. Ocean Coast Manag. 67 (2012), 87–100, 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2012.06.005.
Lemée, C., Guillard, M., Fleury-Bahi, G., Krien, N., Chadenas, C., Chauveau, E., Desse, M., Coquet, M., Lamarre, M., Navarro, O., What meaning do individuals give to coastal risks? Contribution of the social representation theory. Mar. Pol., 108, 2019, 103629, 10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103629.
Slovic, P., Finucane, M.L., Peters, E., MacGregor, D.G., Risk as analysis and risk as feelings: some thoughts about affect, reason, risk, and rationality. Risk Anal. 24:2 (2004), 311–322, 10.1111/j.0272-4332.2004.00433.x.
Michel-Guillou, E., Meur-Ferec, C., Representations of coastal risk (erosion and marine flooding) among inhabitants of at-risk municipalities. J. Risk Res. 49 (2016), 145–799, 10.1080/13669877.2015.1119181.
Teka, O., Vogt, J., Social perception of natural risks by local residents in developing countries-The example of the coastal area of Benin. Soc. Sci. J. 47 (2010), 215–224, 10.1016/j.soscij.2009.07.005.
Schumacher, J., Schernewski, G., Bielecka, M., Loizides, M.I., Loizidou, X.I., Methodologies to support coastal management - a stakeholder preference and planning tool and its application. Mar. Pol. 94 (2018), 150–157, 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.05.017.
Ojeda, S., The Kampala convention on internally displaced persons: some international humanitarian law aspects. Refug. Surv. Q. 29 (2010), 58–66, 10.1093/rsq/hdq028.
Findlay, A.M., Migrant destinations in an era of environmental change. Global Environ. Change, 2011, 21S50–21S58, 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.09.004.
Neumann, B., Vafeidis, A.T., Zimmermann, J., Nicholls, R.J., Future coastal population growth and exposure to sea-level rise and coastal flooding-a global assessment. PLoS one, 100118571(3), 2015, 10.1371/journal.pone.0118571.
INSAE, Enquête Modulaire Intégrée sur les Conditions de Vie des Ménages (EMICoV) 2007: principaux indicateurs, 2009, Ministère de la prospective, du développement et de l’évaluation de l'action publique, 60.
INSAE, Principaux indicateurs socio démographiques et économiques du département du Littoral (RGPH-4, 2013), 2016, Ministère du Plan et de Développement, 85.