Degree and Determinants of Host Communities’ Socio-Economic Dependence on Forest Products of Pendjari National Park, Benin Republic: Automatic Linear Modelling Technique

The study aimed at determining the degree and determinants of host communities’ socio-economic dependence on forest products of Pendjari National Park, Benin. Four hundred households in fourteen host communities of the Park were subjected to direct household survey through multistage sampling technique. Forest Dependency Indices were computed to determine the households’ dependence on forest products. An automatic linear modelling algorithm through forward stepwise model selection method was employed to model the main determinants to host communities' socio-economic dependence on forest products. Household age category (5-14 and above 60 years), total monthly income, education level of the household members (junior/senior high school, bachelor’s degree), place of birth, and religion were the main determinants. Most host communities were observed to be dependent on the park in varied forms and degrees, while Tanguieta and Sangou had the least and highest degree of dependence, respectively. Thus, the findings had provided a template for relevant authorities to rightly allocate resources for alternative livelihood means to the ranked host communities. However, a monitoring indicator had been developed to quantify and safeguard the harms of indigenous people to the biodiversity base. This is believed to create a synergy between sustainable development and indigenous peoples.