Articles

Role of The Forest-Savanna Transition Zones in Mitigating Climate Change at Lamto Scientific Reserve, Côte d’Ivoire

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In the context of global climate change, forests play a crucial role as carbon sinks, contributing to regulating greenhouse gases and stabilising the climate. This study evaluates the role of forest-savanna transition zones in mitigating climate change at Lamto Scientific Reserve, Côte d’Ivoire, by assessing their carbon sequestration capacity and economic value. The study employed a combination of field surveys, remote sensing and statistical analysis to gather and analyse the data. The floristic inventory recorded 4,018 individuals, distributed among 142 species, 92 genus, and 37 families.  The stem density ranges from 510 stems/ha (shrub savanna) to 758 stems/ha (moist semi-deciduous forest), with a basal area varying from 5.65 m²/ha (open forest) to 11.79 m²/ha (gallery forest). The vegetation structure, characterised by a “bell-shaped” vertical stratification and an “inverted J” horizontal distribution, reflects active regeneration. In terms of biomass and carbon sequestration, the gallery forest dominates with 287.37 ± 201.68 t/ha of biomass, 143.69 ± 100.84 tC/ha of carbon, and an exceptional capacity to sequester 526.856 tCO₂/ha, accounting for 57.6% of the total carbon sequestered. Its economic value, supported by mechanisms such as REDD+ High, reaches 13,171 EUR/ha (8,639,880 FCFA). In contrast, the shrub savanna, with a biomass of 9.38 ± 8.41 t/ha and limited sequestration of 17.203 tCO₂/ha, offers a maximum value of 430 EUR/ha (282,111 FCFA). The results highlight the key role of the gallery forest as the primary carbon sink and the economic potential of Lamto’s ecosystems. They underscore sustainable management’s importance in maximising climate regulation, preserving biodiversity, and enhancing ecological resilience.

Impacts of climate variability on the spatio-temporal dynamics of plant formations in the forest-savannah transition zone: the case of the Lamto Scientific Reserve, Central Côte d’Ivoire

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Understanding climatic variability’s effects on land and biodiversity is vital for guiding sustainability, conservation, and climate impact predictions in fragile ecosystems like Côte d’Ivoire’s forest-savanna transition zone. This study aims to analyse the impact of climate variability on the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use in the Lamto Scientific Reserve. To do this, a set of monthly climate data covering the period from 1990 to 2022 was used, including indicators such as rainfall, maximum, minimum and average temperatures, drought and standardised rainfall indices. The study also involved the classification of Landsat images dating from 1990, 2002, 2012 and 2022, enabling changes in land use to be observed. The corresponding areas were correlated with the climatic variables using a Spearman correlation test. The results show a transition from savannah to denser tree cover in the reserve. In addition, an increase in rainfall, varying between 900 and 1687 mm, suggests that Lamto could be classified as a humid region. The analysis highlights the complex interactions between climate change, particularly high temperatures, and land-use dynamics. Gallery and semi-deciduous forests show resilience in the face of rising temperatures, favouring their expansion. On the other hand, pre-forest formations, such as open forests and wooded savannahs, are more affected by these temperatures, which hinders their development. Tree savannahs also show a certain resilience, while shrub savannahs and bare land are often associated with ecological degradation processes in response to high temperatures. Finally, although rainfall plays a role, its influence seems minor, suggesting that other environmental or climatic factors, such as watercourses or microclimate, play a more significant role in land use/land cover dynamics.