Impacts of land use on the structural dynamics of three woody food species in the north-sudanian zone of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Forest resources play an important role in the livelihoods of rural people for centuries.
The various forms of exploitation of forest resources are often sources of threat to their survival and
establishment. Studying the structural dynamics of food woody species has the advantage to contribute
effectively to their conservation. To do this, in four villages in the central-western region of Burkina Faso,
we inventoried in 180 plots of 50 m×50 m all woody species according to the different types of land use
(forest, farm and fallow) with the sampling criterion was the presence of one of the following species:
Bombax costatum, Parkia biglobosa and Saba senegalensis. A total of 31 species belonging to 13 families
and 25 genera were recorded in the three land use types. The horizontal and vertical structures of the three
studied species are unstable in the different types of land use where the majority of individuals are aging,
indicating the problems of regeneration. In the light of these findings, it is urgent to explore the ways of
vegetative propagation (layering, grafting, cuttings), to stimulate the planting and protection of food trees
while continuing to raise public awareness to reduce human pressure on these trees. recognized for their
socio-economic importance.