Characterization and ecological importance of cocoa and oil palm agroforestry systems on the outskirts of a forest concession in southern Cameroon

Traditional production systems, agroforestry systems (SAFs) in southern Cameroon combine various types of trees of socio-economic interest which can contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. The objective of this work is to analyze the contribution of these agroforestry systems based on cocoa and oil palms in the sustainable management of peripheral resources of a forest concession in southern Cameroon. The methodological approach adopted consisted of carrying out socio-demographic surveys with 66 SAF operators using survey forms. A sampling rate of 10% was applied in seven villages in the Commune of Djoum. These interviews were supplemented by floristic inventories carried out on 69 plots of 40 × 60 m for a total area of 15.84 ha. The data collected allowed us to calculate various diversity and ecological indices, woody biomass and carbon stock, to which various statistical tests and Analyzes of variance were applied. The floristic potential is made up of 8,355 individuals divided into 177 species, 153 genera, 47 families, and classified into 3 woody groups, namely introduced, preserved and perennial species. The Shannon index between land use types varies from 2.15 bits in palm agroforests to 3.9 bits in forests while it is 2.81 bits in cocoa agroforests. The forests of the UFA and the peripheral SAFs share 42 forest species out of 63 inventoried species, ie 66.7% of forest species preserved in cocoa agroforests, proof of the effectiveness of the conservation potential of these SAFs in the region. The largest diameter class is [10–20] cm while the largest height class is the stratum of [5–10] m. Tree density and basal areas are highest in forests with 110.51 stems/ha and 42.08 m2/ha. Three types of architectural profiles for cocoa-based SAFs and two types of architectural profiles for oil palm-based SAFs were identified with a typology that shows 4 groups of TUTs based on ecological interactions. Forests are the type of land use that stores the most carbon (115.81 tC/ha) compared to 93.54 tC/ha for palm agroforest and 58.8 tC/ha for cocoa agroforests. Gradients of diversity, density and complexity vary with proximity to the forest concession. These results could be considered as effective and quantifiable tools for the certification of numerous cash crops such as cocoa and oil palm, which will make it possible to promote this endogenous knowledge scientifically and in the development of various programs and publications. technical notes.

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