Levers for the transformation of land use on the periphery of the Haut-Sassandra classified forest | JBES 2021

 

Research Paper was developed by Mr. Barima Yao Sadaiou Sabas, Zanh Golou Gizèle, Kouakou Akoua Tamia Madeleine, and Mr. Kouakou Kouassi Apollinaire from the institute of the Environmental Training and Research Unit, Jean Lorougnon Guédé University, Daloa, Ivory Coast, Published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES, under the publication of the International Network For Natural Sciences | INNSPUB. Let's get some knowledge about it.

Abstract

The development of the agricultural sector in Côte d’Ivoire has led to profound changes in forest cover in general and around the protected areas of the State in particular. The aim of this work is to give an account of the process of mutation of the rural space of the classified forest of Haut-Sassandra for a better conservation of the latter. To achieve this objective, satellite images dating from 1997, 2002, 2006, 2013 and 2018 have been classified followed by observations and field surveys. The results show a reduction in forest cover in favour of agriculture. In fact, the forested areas that occupied 18.4% of the landscape in 1997 fell to 4% in 2018 with a conversion of more than 80% of the forested areas to crops. The latter are dominated by three perennial crops with associated food crops. Among these perennial crops, cocoa and coffee are the old ones and are essentially cultivated on a forest cultivation precedent, thus leading to a rarefaction of forest areas. While cashew trees, the third perennial crop, are more recent and were introduced into the area as a result of the increasing scarcity of forest areas. Thus, cashew trees are essentially cultivated on previous crops grown on fallow land and old plantations.

Journal Name- Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES

Published By- International Network for Natural Sciences | INNSPUB

Introduction

Agriculture plays a key role in the economic development of Sub-Saharan African countries. In these countries, it accounts on average for 70% of total employment, 40% of export goods and one-third of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Esso, 2009). Thus, among these sub-Saharan African countries, Ivory Coast has focused its economic development on the agricultural sector since independence. This sector is the engine of Ivorian growth with the development of cash crops encouraged by the State. According to the economic statistic, agriculture provides about 40% of Ivory coast export earnings and contributes to 15% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Assiri et al., 2016). However, agricultural pratices led a drastic reduction in forest cover (Koffi et al., 2018). Ivorian forest, which represented about 16 million hectares in 1960, has undergone a rapid reduction in area to less than 2.5 million hectares in 2007 (Chatelain et al., 2004). 

Agricultural activities are pointed out in Ivory coast as the main driver of deforestation (Desdoigts and Kouadio, 2013 ; Cissé et al., 2016). This is leading to the depletion of forest reserves (Kassin, 2009). Faced with this depletion of forest reserves, a displacement of populations from the pre-forest areas of the Center to forest areas including the Center-West of Ivory Coast in search of land suitable for cocoa production is observed. Furthermore, the displacement of populations in the Center-West of Ivory Coast has increased pressure on the land resources still available and the emergence of inter-community conflicts. Pressure on these resources has increased in both protected and rural areas (Ruf, 2018). 

The rural area of the Haut-Sassandra classified forest (CFHS) has experienced a massive displacement of population mainly from central Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, in search of land suitable for cocoa production (Kouakou et al., 2015), increasing land and forest pressures. Once settled, these populations set up large camps (Oswald, 2005). In the face of these pressures on land and forest resources, monitoring and quantification of the dynamics of land use in the CFHS rural area is relevent in order to inform These natural resources management. Thus, the present study aims to determine the processes of transformation of the rural space of the classified forest of Haut-Sassandra for a better conservation of the latter. Indeed, the classified forest of Haut- Sassandra was declared a permanent domain of the Ivorian state in 1969 (Kouamé, 1998). This forest has been described as a dense semi-deciduous forest with Celtis spp. and Triplochiton scleroxylon (K. Schum, from the mesophilic sector within the Guinean domain (Guillaumet and Adjanohoun, 1971). 

The flora of the CFHS is highly diversified both at the generic and specific levels (Kouamé, 1998). In 1998, it contained 1047 species composed of several endemic species with special IUCN status. Thus, it accounted for 25% at the species level and 43% at the genus level of the general flora of Ivory Coast (Kouamé et al., 1998). This state-owned area has experienced and continues to experience strong anthropogenic pressure (Kouakou et al., 2018; Kouakou et al., 2017). To date, forest area has decreased by more than 50%, with an annual loss of 17% to crops and housing (Barima et al., 2016, Kouakou et al., 2015; Sangne et al., 2015). This degradation of the CFHS could be the result of the anthropization of its periphery. The identification and understanding of the drivers of the modification of the peripheral areas of the CFHS could allow a better understanding of the pressures exerted in the protected area and guide the manager's decision-making. Check out more J. Bio. Env. Sci. 18(3), 70-85.

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