Variation in ethnomycological knowledge across age groups and length of residency in Benin (West Africa)

Olyvia Gwladys FADEYI; Boris Armel Olou; Apollon Dossou Migan Tadagbé  Hegbe; Meike  Piepenbring; Nourou Soulemane  Yorou

doi:10.15451/ec2025-06-14.22-1-13

Autores

Olyvia Gwladys FADEYI Research Unit in Tropical Mycology and Plant Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS), Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou (Benin)
Boris Armel Olou Research Unit in Tropical Mycology and Plant Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS), Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou (Benin) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3629-5360
Apollon Dossou Migan Tadagbé Hegbe Research Unit in Tropical Mycology and Plant Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS), Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou (Benin) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0635-3459
Meike Piepenbring Department of Mycology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0635-3459
Nourou Soulemane Yorou Research Unit in Tropical Mycology and Plant Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS), Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou (Benin) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0635-3459

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2025-06-14.22-1-13

Palavras-chave:

Keywords: Ethnomycology, local knowledge, knowledge incidence, age groups, conservation.

Resumo

The variation of ethnomycological knowledges between age, sex, and ethnic groups has been extensively documented in tropical Africa. However, little is known about the relation between migration events and ethnomycological knowledge as well as the depreciation or gain across successive age groups. This study aims to (1) determine the relationship between the duration of residency within an area and ethnomycological knowledge (number of edible species known by respondents, local nomenclature, and proportion of species whose substrate is known) and (2) assess the dynamic of three variables above across successive age groups. A total of 2,233 respondents were randomly selected for face-to-face semi-structured interviews in nine villages across three community forest zones in central and southeastern Benin. Analyses of variance and covariance assessed the relation between people’s length of residence and ethnomycological knowledge. Differences in knowledge across successive age groups were analyzed using generalized linear regression with poisson error for the number of known species and binomial regression for the proportion of named species and species whose substrate is known. The findings revealed that longer residency correlates with better ethnomycological knowledge. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in all three variables across age groups. Knowledge levels varied significantly, with younger generations demonstrating less local knowledge than adults. This decline highlights the need to integrate local knowledge into education programs and combine indigenous knowledge with modern scientific approaches to achieve better social and ecological outcomes, such as sustainable resource management and improved biodiversity conservation.

Keywords: Ethnomycology, local knowledge, knowledge incidence, age groups, conservation.

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