The Pendjari National Park located in the North-West of the Republic of Benin was classified as a state forest and partial wildlife reserve of the Pendjari loop in 1954 but also a Biosphere Reserve in 1986.

African Parks, an international NGO that, since May 2017, has been in charge of managing the nature reserve, has signed a contract with the government that would allow the rehabilitation and enhancement of this park, which extends over 5000 km2 and is home to one of the largest protected savannah ecosystems in West Africa.

This project, which will last ten years, will be financed by the Beninese State (3.6 billion CFA francs) and by various donors (12 billion CFA francs). In total, more than 23 million euros will be used to preserve the resources present in the national park over a period of ten years. The four main objectives of the project are infrastructure development, protection and conservation of biodiversity, security, and scientific research. The project also wants to focus on young people who are the future of the country, by raising their awareness of the conservation of biodiversity: “We took students from local schools to Pendjari Park in order to teach them about the national heritage of their country and the protection of wildlife”, assures Peter Fearnhead, managing director of African Parks”.

In addition to these actions, on-site collaboration between Beninese researchers and international organizations is planned, and an inventory of fauna and flora is in progress. Some of the park's emblematic species, such as leopards and elephants, have also been placed under surveillance using telematic monitoring.

Currently, the park receives 6,500 tourists per year and plans to receive 9,000 tourists in the long term. In addition, it should create 400 jobs. The living conditions of 50,000 inhabitants living in the vicinity of the park are also expected to improve, in particular thanks to a campaign to raise awareness about poaching set up in 2017 by the government, which was initially intended for them.