Structure of duekoué and scio protected forests under anthropogenic activities in southwestern côte d’ivoire

François N’guessan Kouamé^1*, Emmanuel Yapi Amonkou², Maxime N’takpé Kama Boraud³, Edouard Kouakou N’guessan³

¹Laboratoire de Botanique, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny

²Société de Développement des forêts

³Laboratoire de Botanique, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny

*Corresponding     Author‘s     Email:     fnkouame3@gmail.com;

Tel:   (+225)   07009566;   03007139;   44263046.

Accepted 27 January, 2015

Abstract

This manuscript analyses the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on trees, shrubs and lianas mean DBH, density and basal area in two protected rain forests in Southwestern Côte d’Ivoire. These forests have been under timber harvesting since their protection in 1929. The Forestry Service had developed plantations of indigenous timber species and Teak since 1996 to increase their productivities for timbers. Additionally, they host many plantations of cash crop among which Coffee, Cocoa and Rubber are the most important. To understand how these plantations affect the local vegetation structure, trees, shrubs and lianas with DBH ≥10 cm were analyzed through the mean DBH, density and basal area. Plots were of 20 m x 50 m size and a total of 10 per vegetation type. Highest mean DBH and basal area in both plots and vegetation types were found in the natural forests and the undergrowth cleared forests which had similar values of these parameters. Yet density showed both lowest and highest values in plantations. Density in plantations was influenced by the site location of the plantation and the nature of crop while mean DBH and basal area were influenced only by the nature of crop.

Keywords: Forest protection, cash crops, agroforestry, vegetation structure, South-West Côte d’Ivoire