Tenekwetche Sop Guillaume
Other projects
15 May 2008
Diversity, Utilisation and Dynamic of Woody Species in the Burkina Faso Sahel, with Focus on Local Knowledge
The aim of this project is to assess the conservation status and the distribution of key woody species of socio-economic importance for the livelihoods of the people of the Sub-Sahel of Burkina Faso. The results will serve as baseline for a sustainable use and conservation of identified threatened and endangered species.
The perceptions of local people on their environment are very important for the implementation of locally acceptable management strategies for resource conservation that include the observations of the stakeholders.
During the first Grant, we used ethnobotanical methods to assess the perceptions of the dynamics of woody vegetation by local people of the study area. Species listed were perceived either as declining, stable, increasing, threatened or locally extinct. For this second phase, we have selected a sample of species that will be studied using ecological methods. The aim is to test the accuracy of the perceptions of local people concerning the targeted species. Species selected for this research are: Vitellaria paradoxa, Adansonia digitata, Pterocarpus lucens, Acacia seyal, Acacia nilotica, Balanites aegyptiaca, Lannea microcarpa, sclérocarya birrea, securidaca longepedunculata and Tamarindus indica.
The project consists of three parts with different time scales:
- Dendrometric studies (4-6 months)
In the populations of the targeted species, Diameter at Breast Height (Dbh) and tree height of all individuals above 1.30m will be sampled on 20x50 m plots. At the meantime, seedlings and saplings will be recorded on 5 subplots nested within the big plot.
- Germination trials in the laboratory (3 months)
Using several treatments, germination experiments will be done with the seeds of the selected species. The aim is assess the germination capacity and thus the potential of the species to naturally regenerate
- Phytosociological/botanical investigations (3-4 months).
In the surroundings of the villages where ethnobotanical interviews were carried out, and in the whole study area, woody vegetation will be assessed on randomly selected plots of 50m x 20 m. The frequency of a species in the sampled plots will be used as an indication of the degree of threat facing the plant.
-Data processing and analysis (3 months)
Data from the Dbh will be analyzed using the method of size-class distribution (SCD) proposed by Condit et al. (1998). Population structure for each species will be derived from the analysis of the slope of a linear regression of SCD parameters.
-Preparation of the research report (One month)