Occurrence Records of Mosses from Benin (West Africa): The BryoBen Project, National Herbarium of Benin

Bryophytes comprise approximately 20,000 species worldwide and represent the second largest group of land plants after angiosperms. They play essential ecological roles in soil formation, nutrient cycling, water retention, microhabitat regulation, and forest regeneration and are widely recognized as sensitive bioindicators of environmental and climate change. Despite their importance, bryophytes remain poorly studied in West Africa.In Benin, bryophyte research is particularly limited due to the absence of a national database, insufficient taxonomic expertise, lack of identification resources, and the exclusion of these organisms from biodiversity assessments. To address this gap, the BryoBen project (https://bryoben-jrs.org) was initiated to document bryophyte diversity and establish the first quantitative baseline for the country.This dataset provides georeferenced occurrence records of mosses (Bryophyta) collected through field surveys in 18 municipalities across Benin. It includes 365 occurrences representing 56 species. By mobilizing these data, the dataset significantly improves current knowledge of moss diversity in Benin and supports their integration into biodiversity research, conservation planning, and ecological monitoring at national and regional scales.