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Impacts of harvesting intensity on tree taxonomic diversity, structural diversity, population structure, and stability in a West African mangrove forest

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Abstract

Understanding the impacts of wood harvesting intensity on the diversity and structure of ecosystems such as mangroves is essential for defining actions for their sustainable management. We compared tree taxonomic diversity, structural diversity and dominance patterns, density, growth characteristics, size class distribution-SCD and stand stability in West African mangroves subject to low vs. high wood harvesting intensity. Data on tree species identity, total height, diameter (dbh), and conditions (logged, topped or pruned) were collected from ten mangrove sites per harvesting intensity. We found seven species of which two true mangroves species (Rhizophora racemosa and Avicennia germinans) that were dominant across all sites. As expected, there were significantly 3–4, 3–7, and 2–4 times more logged, topped and pruned trees respectively in high-harvesting sites than in low-harvesting sites. Taxonomic diversity was less affected than structural diversity (dbh and height-based diversity metrics). Tree density was significantly 1.3–5 times higher in low-harvesting sites than in high-harvesting sites for the whole stand and each of the dominant species. Total regeneration density was also low in high-harvesting sites. However, regeneration density was relatively higher in high-harvesting sites for R. racemosa contrary to A. germinans. Trees were also significantly smaller and shorter in high-harvesting sites. The SCD indicated inverse J-shaped distributions, irrespective of the harvesting intensity and showed that tree harvesting targeted mostly dbh classes 10–30 cm. The density of this class was 2.6–6.2 times lower in high-harvesting sites. This study provides important information on impacts of wood harvesting in a marginally studied mangroves’ area.

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Fig. 1
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source of energy c, a mangrove site proected by the Zangbéto as local measure to mangrove conservation d, branches of mangroves harvested for fish trap “Acadja” e

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Data availability

Data are available from the corresponding author upon a reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was funded by the International Foundation for Science–IFS (Grant No I-1-6068-1 attributed to ZMS) and the International Tropical Timber Organization–ITTO (Fellowships No 094/17A attributed to SKV). We also acknowledge the financial support from the Fond National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technologie–FNRSIT through the project PGD-Mangroves (Agreement No. 003/MESRS/FNRSIT/AC/SSE/SAI/SA). ZMS doctoral studies were supported through the RUFORUM Nurturing Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations Forestières, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 04 BP 1525, Cotonou, Benin

    Mahutin Serge Zanvo, Kolawolé Valère Salako, Césaire Gnanglè, Sylvanus Mensah, Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo & Romain Glèlè Kakaï

  2. Department of Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles. Av. F.D. Roosevelt, 50, CP, 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Kolawolé Valère Salako

Authors
  1. Mahutin Serge Zanvo
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  2. Kolawolé Valère Salako
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  3. Césaire Gnanglè
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  4. Sylvanus Mensah
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  5. Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo
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  6. Romain Glèlè Kakaï
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Contributions

ZMS and SKV conceived the work with advices from GKR. ZMS collected the data. ZMS and SKV processed the data and performed the statistical analyses. ZMS drafted the manuscript with contribution of SKV and MS. GKR supervised the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kolawolé Valère Salako.

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Zanvo, M.S., Salako, K.V., Gnanglè, C. et al. Impacts of harvesting intensity on tree taxonomic diversity, structural diversity, population structure, and stability in a West African mangrove forest. Wetlands Ecol Manage 29, 433–450 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-021-09793-w

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