Efficiency of conservation areas to protect orchid species in Benin, West Africa

This first effort to compile a reference list of the orchid species of the BRP showed that some orchid species were well represented within the protected area, but all of the epiphytic orchids were recorded from unprotected areas. A representative gap can be assumed to exist for most epiphytic orchids only recorded in the gallery forests of unprotected areas. Our results highlighted the need to redefine protective management strategies for orchid species in the BRP.