| Titre |
Contribution of sacred forests to biodiversity conservation: case of Adjahouto and Lokozoun sacred forests in southern Benin, West Africa |
| Auteurs |
TOKO IMOROU ISMAÏLA [1],
AROUNA Ousséni [2],
HOUESSOU Laurent G. [3],
SINSIN AUGUSTIN BRICE [4],
|
| Journal: |
International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences (Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci.) |
| Catégorie Journal: |
Internationale |
| Impact factor: |
0.31 |
| Volume Journal: |
11 |
| DOI: |
DOI : https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v11i6.30 |
| Resume |
In the current context of the rapid changes of land cover and land use in Benin, sacred forests are
thought to be sanctuaries of biodiversity and representative of primary vegetation. In order to assess the
contribution of sacred forests to phytodiversity conservation, this study was carried out in Adjahouto and
Lokozoun sacred forests located in the southern region of Benin. Phytosociological relevés were done in 25
circular plots of 18 m radius. Based on the species red list of Benin, threatened species found in Adjahouto and
Lokozoun sacred forests were identified. Moreover, socio-economic survey of local residents allowed
highlighting the factors that could impede the contribution of sacred forests in biodiversity conservation.
Regarding plant diversity, a total of 75 species (68 tree species and 7 herbaceous species) distributed in 70
genera and 40 families were determined in the sacred forests of Adjahouto and Lokozoun. The plant
communities Shannon diversity index ranged from 2.64 to 3.26 bits. The proportion of endangered species
represented 8% in the Adjahouto sacred forest and 12% in the Lokozoun sacred forest. Phanerophytes were the
dominant life forms in the two sacred forests. The Guineo-Congolese species were the most abundant (50% in
Adjahouto and 41.38% in Lokozoun) and the most dominant (46.54% in Adjahouto and 90.27% in Lokozoun).
The chorotype compositions showed that the Adjahouto and Lokozoun sacred forests still keep their primary
vegetation and thereby enhance the global biodiversity conservation in Benin.
© 2017 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. |
| Mots clés |
Biodiversity, phytosociology, conservation, threatened species, sacred forests, Benin. |
| Pages |
2936 - 2948 |
| Fichier |
 (PDF) |