Dynamiques démographiques, vulnérabilité et évolution du couvert végétal au nord Bénin : des interactions complexes

In the last half century, land cover has overgone profound changes in north Benin as in the whole sudanian and sahelian zone. This evolution, monitored by remote sensing for several decades on a transect covering most of the northern part of the country, can be compared with the rapid population growth and the expansion of agriculture in a context of high vulnerability which is reflected by the high level of child stunting. If the demographic variable remains important in the environmental transformation issues, the analysis of local dynamics reveals more complex connections involving social, political and economic factors which questions the idea of a stable and univocal correlation supposed in the population-environment nexus.