sentences:  93-009) in July 1993, under which the uniqueness of riparian forests as refuge ecosystem for plant and wildlife of many kinds, was duly recognized.The rules enacted clearly defined that "clearance of wood and shrubs is not allowed within at both sides of any waterway (article 28).Moreover, in the management plans of most forest reserves in Benin, gallery forests are to be left uncut, and rare species (e.g.