Land Use Change and the Structural Diversity of Affem Boussou Community Forest in the Tchamba 1 Commune (Tchamba Prefecture, Togo)

Abstract

Affem Boussou community forest (AFC) abounds in important biological resources. This study, which contributes to its better management, examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of the vegetation and its ecological and structural characteristics to propose a zoning plan for said forest. The analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use in the AFC from Google Earth images of 2015, 2018, and 2021 revealed a regressive trend of formations: crops and fallows (−33.98%), dense dry forests (−7.92%), gallery forests (−3.46%), plantations (−100%), grassy savannahs, and meadows (−18.84%), except for tree/shrub savannahs (484.23%). The floristic inventory identified 163 species divided into 129 genera and 55 families. Fabaceae (14.02%), and Combretaceae (10.55%) are the most represented families. Anogeissus leiocarpa (5.19%) and Vitellaria paradoxa (4.72%) are the most frequent species. We note the dominance of individuals of small diameters. The regeneration potential of the AFC is 64 feet/ha due to 21 feet/ha of suckers, 29 feet/ha of seedlings, and 14 feet/ha of shoots. As a zoning plan, the AFC was subdivided into four zones: the agroforestry zone (18.80%), the sustainable production forest zone (42.22%), the buffer zone (11%), and the biological conservation zone (28%). These results constitute a scientific basis for testing ecological indicators of the sustainable management of community forests in Togo.

Dynamic and Floristic Structure of Kouampante Community Forest (Savannahs’ Region, Togo)

“…KCF has an estimated flora diversity of 59. Compared to most other community forests in ecological zones 3, 4 and 5 of Togo [10,18,19,41,56], this diversity was low. The smaller size of this forest and the climatic conditions of the area may explain this difference.…”

“…These data include knowledge of biodiversity, landscape structure and dynamics, timber resource status, management practices and the existence and functioning of management committees. Although several studies have investigated about the management of both community forests [9,10,[14][15][16][17][18][19] and sacred groves and forests [1,20,21], however, there is lack of relevant data on Savannah community forest dynamics. Thus, such knowledge can be helpful in enhancing our understanding of the role of local communities in managing forest resources [22].…”