Conservation of Voluntary Nature Reserves: Physical Characterization of Flora of the Biodiversity Zones of the Zuénoula Sugar Complex (Central West, Côte d'Ivoire)

Abstract

Background: Conservation of voluntary nature reserves: physical characterization of flora of the biodiversity zones of the Zuénoula sugar complex (Central West, Côte d'Ivoire. Objective: To protect and conserve biodiversity zones of the Zuénoula sugar complex for abundant and sustainable sugar production in Côte d'Ivoire. Methods: A study of the perimeter boundaries and floristic structure of conservation areas was conducted in vegetation formations consisting of gallery forests, riparian forests and forest islands. The perimeter boundaries were determined by mapping the ecological sites with a GPS. The floristic list was established from surface and itinerant survey methods. Results: The three ecological sites were delimited and mapped on an area of 139.55 ha. The flora, mostly from the Guinean-Congolese region, was rich in 106 species and dominated by Mesophanerophytes. It belonged mainly to the Caesalpiniaceae, Moraceae and Sterculiaceae families. The gallery forests FG3 and FG5 were the most stable. In addition, all environments were diverse and indicated a uniform distribution of species. Six vulnerable species including Afzeliaafricana and Mallotusoppositus, two Red List species including Miliciaexcelsa and Triplochitonscleroxylon and 41 species of Least Concern including Albiziaadianthifolia and Lanneanigritana were identified. Conclusion: The ecological reserves of Zuénoula are rich and diversified in plant species. Their implementation allows for the reduction of industrial pollution.