INFLUENCE OF FIRE ON CANOPY PLANT DIVERSITY IN THE HIGH GUINEAN SAVANNAH OF DJEREM (ADAMAOUA, CAMEROON)

Abstract

Numerous anthropogenic pressures, including periodic fires, affect the current functioning and structure of tropical savannas. The objective was to contribute to the evaluation of the effects of fires on the woody cover in the high Guinean savannas of Cameroon. The work took place in the Mbakaou and Ngaoundal districts in the Djerem Division. Floristic inventories were carried out in transects 1 km long and 20 m wide. A total of 100 transects were carried out, covering an area of 30 ha. For each parameter studied, the analysis of variance was performed using XLSTAT and the Excel software was used to produce the graphs. The results show that the specific diversity is globally low with 49 species, 44 genera and 20 families. The most dominant species are Entadaafricana and Piliostigmathonningii. The families of great ecological importance are Fabaceae and Combretaceae. The demographic structure (diameters, heights, dhp) of the savannas follows an "L" shaped distribution. Thus, fires contribute to the erosion of biodiversity. It is urgent to take adequate measures to limit bush fires.