Broadleaved forests

  • Semi-deciduous and deciduous forest in the region of the upper basin of the Mono and Ogou, generally under 300 m, belonging to the lowland "dry continental" eco-floristic zone. This archipelago of forest islands and gallery forests, none with an area of over 500 or 600 ha, lies in the east of the country between latitudes 8° 15´ and 9° N (the Abdoulaye region) in the midst of Guinean savannah. Many of the islands are found in the Abdoulaye reserved forest.

    The dominant storey is of medium height (15 to 25 m) in deciduous and dry stands, and higher (25 m) in semi-deciduous and gallery forests. It is interesting that the species frequency is the same in deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, with the most common species being Antiaris africana, A. welwitschii, Ceiba pentandra, Khaya senegalensis, Chlorophora excelsa, Triplochiton scleroxylon and Afzelia africana. Other species found in both semi-deciduous and deciduous forests are Khaya grandifolia, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Berlinia acuminata, Bombax buonopozense, Cola cordifolia, Diospyros mespiliformis and Erythrophleum guineense.

  • A mosaic of semi-deciduous and dry deciduous forests on the slopes of the Danyi plateau and Mounts Togo, Haito and Agou, belonging to the sub-humid medium-altitude (300 to 900 m) eco-floristic zone. This is a mosaic of montane forests and mountain-slope forests on the slopes of plateaux in south-west Gogo (Danyi, Akposso) and mountains east of these plateaux. These forests rise from the peneplain (250 m) and up the sides of mountains reaching 986 m (Mount Agou) and plateaux reaching 800 to 900 m. The slopes of the plateaux are generally very steep, making them hard for farmers to cultivate, so that several good slope forests have survived.

    Fires and permanent crops are the most destructive factors for these forests, which thus hold out longest in the damper places (valleys and wooded slopes). However, people are encroaching here as well, and slowly but surely cutting away at the valley forests, which are then replaced by savannah. And degradation is also qualitative since farmers have been occupying most of these forests for many years, growing coffee and cocoa (and also maize, cassava, etc.) wherever the forest is open enough.

    Large trees, often exceeding 25 m (75% of the total for forests over cocoa and coffee, and 35% for others) form the dominant storey in these stands and the cover is usually open, as a result both of growers' removing some of the trees to allow a little light to reach their coffee and cocoa and of logging in the case of stands with no under-cropping. Nevertheless, although this forest still has plenty of large trees, it contains very few species, mainly Chlorophora excelsa, Khaya grandifolia, Pycnanthus kombo, P. angolensis, Antiaris africana, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Ceiba pentandra, Mitragyna ciliata and M. stipulosa.

  • Semi-degraded forest with widespread cropping, belonging to the lowland "dry coastal" eco-floristic zone. This type occurs in the south-west part of the country and forms a broken strip between Palimé and Keve, then extends from Keve-Assahoun to the north-east (Tsagba-Asrama) and ends with the last remnants of the Tetetou and Togodo forests. The zone has relatively high rainfall (between 1 100 and 1 400 mm) and an equatorial climate. It is very flat, with a slight slope from Palimé, at about 200 m, to the coast.

    Most of these semi-deciduous forests have been invaded by shifting cultivation or cash crops (coffee, cocoa) so that their cover is rarely closed. Both forest and dry-savannah species are found, the most common being Ficus spp., Sterculia tracagantha, Phyllanthus discoideus, Daniellia oliveri, Butyrospermum paradoxum, Bridelia spp., Antiaris africana, Albizia zygia and the Elaeis guineensis palm.

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    • last updated: Monday, January 12, 2004