The amphibian’s fauna of a West African forest relict near a hydroelectric Dam | JBES 2022

Authors

• N’guessan Emmanuel Assemian 

Jean Lorougnon Guédé University, Laboratory of Biology and Tropical Ecology,
UFR Environnement, Daloa, Côte d’ivoire

•  Konan Hervé Oussou

Jean Lorougnon Guédé University, Laboratory of Biology and Tropical Ecology,
UFR Environnement, Daloa, Côte d’ivoire

•  Blaise Kadjo

 Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, UFR Biosciences, Abidjan, Côte d’ivoire

• Atta Léonard Kouadio
  

Jean Lorougnon Guédé University, Laboratory of Biology and Tropical Ecology, UFR Environnement, Daloa, Côte d’ivoire

Journal Name

Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES

Publisher Name

International Network For Natural Sciences | INNSpub

Abstract

This study reports the amphibian’s fauna sampled from the Biodiversity Conservation Area of the hydroelectric dam of Soubré city (southwestern Côte d’Ivoire). This study aims to provide a better understanding of the diversity of amphibians in this relict forest of 200 ha, in order to assess the ecological health of this ecosystem for conservation and sustainable management perspectives. During dry season (from 26 February to 4 March 2018) and rainy season (from 17 to 23 June 2018), we recorded 14 species of anurans grouped into eight genera and six families. The study sites comprise an amphibian fauna consisting mainly of savannah specialists and degraded forest (64.28% of total species richness). Based on the IUCN Red List, all species recorded are of least concern. Also, these species are well distributed in the different regions of Côte d’Ivoire and Africa. Thus, it is necessary to monitor the ecology of the species and to protect subsequently the different habitats of this area. Check out more by following the link The amphibian’s fauna of a West African forest relict near a hydroelectric Dam (Southwest of Côte d’Ivoire)

 Introduction

Tropical forests cover about 6% of the world's land area (Myers, 1989). From West Africa to Central Africa, there are two blocks (Upper Guinea and Lower Guinea) containing some of the greatest biological diversity in the world (Myers et al., 2000). Since the beginning of the 19th century, these tropical forests have been experiencing a gradual decrease in their area. This dynamic is, in general, linked to the combined impacts of climate variability, the growth of African populations and changes in social habits (Pain-Orcet et al., 1999). However, several authors have demonstrated a close relationship between the composition of faunal communities and habitat diversity (Lips et al., 2003). Others have also shown that forest fragmentation could cause local extinction of plant species (Hill and Curran 2003). Similar observations have been made for animal communities, including birds, mammals (Beier et al., 2002), reptiles and amphibians (Hillers et al., 2008). Urbanization, logging, agriculture, and the energy sector (construction of high-voltage power lines and hydroelectric dams) are leading to reductions or fragmentation of certain habitat types and concomitant changes in biodiversity (Kirk, 2003). 

The rate of species extinction is rampant, leading the scientific community to believe that a sixth mass extinction is setting in, given the loss of species over the past centuries and millennia (Bellard et al., 2012). The dependence of many amphibian species on both aquatic and terrestrial habitats places them in a state of permanent threat as deterioration in the quality of both terrestrial and aquatic environments could disrupt their life cycles and affect their populations (Dunson et al., 1992). Therefore, they provide more information on environmental disturbances affecting different ecosystems (Blaustein et al., 2003). Thus, amphibians are excellent biological indicators of tropical ecosystems (Channing, 2001). In Côte d'Ivoire, the creation of hydroelectric dams dates back to the 1950s (Assemian et al. 2006). On the one hand, it was a response to the country's search for energy independence in favor of hydroelectricity and, on the other, to a political will to reduce interregional disparities (Tia & Touré, 2016). It is in this context that, in order to mitigate the deficit in energy coverage, the Ivorian State decided to build a hydroelectric dam on the Sassandra River, located in the Soubré city. This infrastructure contributes to general development and human advancement (Skinner et al., 2009). 

However, the construction of this structure is a source of many problems, including massive and forced displacement of populations (Pottinger, 2012) and the destruction of the natural environment with all its components. Aware of the consequences on the natural environment, the Ivorian state in an effort to reconcile environment and development, has included in its development program, the realization of an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) prior to the implementation of any project likely to have an impact on the environment (Kadjo et al., 2017). The policy of erecting an area for biodiversity conservation within the operating space of an industrial or mining company is recent. 

There is the example of Agbaou which dates from 2017. For the hydroelectric dam development of the Soubré, the ESIA allowed the development of an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) In order to compensate for habitat losses, the ESMP proposed a restoration and rehabilitation zone immediately downstream of the dam called the Biodiversity Conservation Area (BCA). The BCA would be a sanctuary or refuge area for terrestrial wildlife in general and amphibians in particular. Thematic studies started in June 2017, these have allowed to make an inventory of the vertebrate fauna of this area. It is in this perspective a study on the spatial distribution of the amphibian’s population in this area has been conducted. Several research works on amphibians have been carried out in different protected area of Côte d'Ivoire, namely those of Rödel & Branch (2002), 

Rödel & Ernst (2004) in Taï National Park (the West region), those of Assemian et al. (2015), Kouamé et al. (2018) in Banco National Park (the Southeast region) and Kpan et al.(2014) in Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forests. This study aims to provide a better understanding and for documenting the amphibian’s diversity of an unprotected forest in order to diagnose the health of this ecosystem for conservation and sustainable management perspectives. 

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