Assessing and monitoring forest species is essential for implementing effective conservation strategies that support biodiversity. This study investigates the structure and growth dynamics of the Afzelia africana (A. africana) stand along the periphery of Benoué National Park (BNP) in northern Cameroon. A forest inventory was carried out at 4 sites located at the four cardinal points of the Bénoué National Park (PNB). Twelve 3000 m x 50 m transects were used, with three transects per study site. Data were collected on density, height, diameter at breast height (Dhp), crown diameter, and biological and vegetative types. To compare A. africana populations between sites, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. Results indicate that wood density is higher in the northern (120 ind. /ha) and southern (90 ind. /ha) peripheries compared to the eastern (54 ind. /ha) and western (28 ind. /ha) peripheries. The distributions of trunk and crown diameters, as well as height, exhibit a bell-shaped pattern, indicating a dominance of middle-class individuals and a scarcity of both regenerating and mature individuals. This distribution suggests that the A. africana stand is under pressure, particularly in the eastern and western peripheries of the BNP. Human activities such as gold panning, charcoal production, and branch pruning, which are most pronounced in the eastern periphery, as well as agriculture and urbanization in the western periphery are contributing to plant instability and the decline of key socio-economic species like A. africana, which is also facing threats of extinction. Raising awareness among local communities and stakeholders could significantly enhance the conservation efforts for this species, particularly by focusing on the protection of juvenile plants and the most disturbed areas.
| Published in | International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 10, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11 |
| Page(s) | 1-11 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
A. africana, Ecological Characterization, Sustainable Conservation, BNP, Northern Cameroon
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APA Style
Calvin, K. N. J., Tchobsala, Adamou, I. (2025). Structural Characterisation of the Afzelia africana Smith ex persoon Stand in the Benoué National Park, North Cameroon. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 10(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11
ACS Style
Calvin, K. N. J.; Tchobsala; Adamou, I. Structural Characterisation of the Afzelia africana Smith ex persoon Stand in the Benoué National Park, North Cameroon. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2025, 10(1), 1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11,
author = {Koudtou Njanga Jean Calvin and Tchobsala and Ibrahima Adamou},
title = {Structural Characterisation of the Afzelia africana Smith ex persoon Stand in the Benoué National Park, North Cameroon},
journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {1-11},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20251001.11},
abstract = {Assessing and monitoring forest species is essential for implementing effective conservation strategies that support biodiversity. This study investigates the structure and growth dynamics of the Afzelia africana (A. africana) stand along the periphery of Benoué National Park (BNP) in northern Cameroon. A forest inventory was carried out at 4 sites located at the four cardinal points of the Bénoué National Park (PNB). Twelve 3000 m x 50 m transects were used, with three transects per study site. Data were collected on density, height, diameter at breast height (Dhp), crown diameter, and biological and vegetative types. To compare A. africana populations between sites, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. Results indicate that wood density is higher in the northern (120 ind. /ha) and southern (90 ind. /ha) peripheries compared to the eastern (54 ind. /ha) and western (28 ind. /ha) peripheries. The distributions of trunk and crown diameters, as well as height, exhibit a bell-shaped pattern, indicating a dominance of middle-class individuals and a scarcity of both regenerating and mature individuals. This distribution suggests that the A. africana stand is under pressure, particularly in the eastern and western peripheries of the BNP. Human activities such as gold panning, charcoal production, and branch pruning, which are most pronounced in the eastern periphery, as well as agriculture and urbanization in the western periphery are contributing to plant instability and the decline of key socio-economic species like A. africana, which is also facing threats of extinction. Raising awareness among local communities and stakeholders could significantly enhance the conservation efforts for this species, particularly by focusing on the protection of juvenile plants and the most disturbed areas.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Structural Characterisation of the Afzelia africana Smith ex persoon Stand in the Benoué National Park, North Cameroon AU - Koudtou Njanga Jean Calvin AU - Tchobsala AU - Ibrahima Adamou Y1 - 2025/01/24 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11 T2 - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management JF - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management JO - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-3061 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20251001.11 AB - Assessing and monitoring forest species is essential for implementing effective conservation strategies that support biodiversity. This study investigates the structure and growth dynamics of the Afzelia africana (A. africana) stand along the periphery of Benoué National Park (BNP) in northern Cameroon. A forest inventory was carried out at 4 sites located at the four cardinal points of the Bénoué National Park (PNB). Twelve 3000 m x 50 m transects were used, with three transects per study site. Data were collected on density, height, diameter at breast height (Dhp), crown diameter, and biological and vegetative types. To compare A. africana populations between sites, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. Results indicate that wood density is higher in the northern (120 ind. /ha) and southern (90 ind. /ha) peripheries compared to the eastern (54 ind. /ha) and western (28 ind. /ha) peripheries. The distributions of trunk and crown diameters, as well as height, exhibit a bell-shaped pattern, indicating a dominance of middle-class individuals and a scarcity of both regenerating and mature individuals. This distribution suggests that the A. africana stand is under pressure, particularly in the eastern and western peripheries of the BNP. Human activities such as gold panning, charcoal production, and branch pruning, which are most pronounced in the eastern periphery, as well as agriculture and urbanization in the western periphery are contributing to plant instability and the decline of key socio-economic species like A. africana, which is also facing threats of extinction. Raising awareness among local communities and stakeholders could significantly enhance the conservation efforts for this species, particularly by focusing on the protection of juvenile plants and the most disturbed areas. VL - 10 IS - 1 ER -
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
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