Abstract
The objective of this study is to characterize and assess the risk of collapse of woody plant formations in the Fathala forest. In recent years, this forest has suffered a sharp reduction in its plant cover to the point of compromising the survival of populations of certain animal species such as the Red colobuses. The methods used are respectively constituted by the transect method, the dendrometric statements method and that of establishing the red list of ecosystems of the IUCN. The specific richness comprises 56 species divided into 47 genera and 22 families. The density is higher in the unfenced area (369 ind/ha in clear forest and 53 ind/ha in gallery forest) compared to the fenced area (160 ind/ha in clear forest versus 48 ind/ha in gallery forest). A study of the plant formations shows a strong degradation of the ecosystems passing from a clear and dry Sudanese forest to a wooded savannah. The cover rate in the fenced area is 20% in gallery forests and 25% in clear forests; in the unfenced area, it is 19% and 23% in gallery forests and clear forests, respectively. The application of the IUCN criteria shows an annual rate of collapse is -6 ind/ha in gallery forests and -4 ind/ha in clear forests. The annual rate of cover collapse would be -3.75% and -2.9% for gallery forests and clear forests, respectively. These results classify the forest in the Critically Endangered category. The main factors responsible for this degradation are, among others, anthropogenic actions and climatic pejoration. These results could constitute a basic tool for undertaking an improvement in the management of this forest, which is a living environment for an animal species.
Highlights
Senegal’s forest formations, like those of many Sahelian countries, are prone to relatively significant degradation, marked by a decrease in wooded areas, a reduction in the density of species and a change in their structure and function [1]
Good in unfenced and fenced areas, the specific richness is similar between gallery forests and clear forests
The average specific richness is 4.31 species per survey in the Fathala Forest. It varies depending on the area and the plant formation; this being higher in clear forests than in gallery forests (Table 1)
Summary
Senegal’s forest formations, like those of many Sahelian countries, are prone to relatively significant degradation, marked by a decrease in wooded areas, a reduction in the density of species and a change in their structure and function [1]. The alteration of ecosystems is more marked in the Sudano-Sahelian zone due to the combined action of climatic pejoration and increasingly significant anthropogenic pressures on plant and soil resources [2] This state of degradation has not spared protected areas as the Fathala Forest [3]. Initial analyses by [5] blamed the impact of late fires and overgrazing for the degradation of the Fathala Forest This practice causes strong changes in the physiognomy and composition of the vegetation and prevents the regeneration of forest essences [5]. Through the identification of species threatened with extinction, the IUCN Red List criteria offer information to governments and society on the current status of biodiversity [7] and trends in extinction risk [8] These criteria provide data to formulate conservation priorities and management strategies [9]. In order to conceptually clarify this simple and widely applicable risk assessment process, we have chosen to focus on the risks of biodiversity collapse as the primary objective of the establishment of the Red List of ecosystems
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