As part of its "Climate Change" Programme, ACED offers a 500,000 CFA (about US $ 1,000) research grant. The grant will be used to conduct a study of biophysical vulnerability in coastal areas of Benin. The research is supported by the "Adaptation of coastal areas to climate change and variability" project funded by the International Development Research Centre - Canada.

Through a call for proposals which targeted students in the fields of geography, environment and agricultural science, a student of the Department of Geography of the University of Abomey-Calavi was selected to receive the grant for research activities in the completion of Master thesis. Her research aims to study climate changes (rain, temperature, wind), map the flood risk and characterize the sea level rise and coastal erosion in Grand-Popo and Ouidah.

The global rise in sea level, following the melting of glaciers due to global warming, makes the Benin coast more vulnerable to erosion. Literature and field observations show that rising sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding and high winds are major climate risk of the coastal zone in Benin.
The results of this research will feed into the reflections and future interventions of ACED in supporting the resilience of coastal communities in Benin.