Structure of duekouué and scio protected forests under anthropogenic activvities in southwestern côôte d’ivoire

Abstract

This manuscript analyses the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on trees, shrubbs and lianas mean DBH, density and basal area in two protected rain forests in Southwestern Côte d’Ivvoire. These forests have been under timber harvesting since their protection in 1929. The Forestry Servvice had developed plantations of indigenous timber species and Teak since 1996 to increase their producctivities for timbers. Additionally, they host many plantatioons of cash crop among which Coffee, Cocoa and Rubber are the most important. To understand how thhese 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 areea in both plots and vegetation types were found in the nattural forests and the undergrowth cleared forests which had similar values of these parameters. Yet densitty showed both lowest and highest values in plantations. Density in plantations was influenced by the site location of the plantation and the nature of croop while mean DBH and basal area were influenced only byy the nature of crop.