BackgroundUnderstanding the variation in distribution and abundance of non-timber forest products (NTFP) species is a crucial step in achieving their conservation and sustainable use. At the northern periphery of the Boumba-Bek National Park in Southeast Cameroon, little is known about which habitat type contain the highest abundance of NTFP species. In this study, we assessed habitat diversity and variation in the abundance of eight priority NTFP species comprising: Afrostyrax lepidophyllus, Baillonella toxisperma, Irvingia gabonensis, Panda oleosa, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Ricinodendron heudelotii, Scorodophloeus zenkeri and Tetrapleura tetraptera. The inventory was done along 16 linear transects of 5000 m × 20 m, and all the individuals, from juveniles (DBH < 5 cm) to mature trees (DBH > 5 cm) of the eight NTFPs were recorded. Habitat types were characterized along transects following basic forest classification system used in ecology and then measured.ResultsIn total, 13 different habitat types were identified with young secondary forests and periodically flooded forests representing 32.70% and 26.31% respectively. The least represented habitat was young fallows with Chromolaena odorata (0.08%). Seven NTFPs (A. lepidophyllus, B. toxisperma, I. gabonensis, P. oleosa, P. macrophylla, R. heudelotii and T. tetraptera) were predominantly represented in young secondary forests whereas S. zenkeri was more abundant in young Marantaceae secondary forests. The different types of young secondary forests identified seem to be favourable for the growth of the eight NTFPs.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that habitat fragmentation driven by human activities such as industrial logging and shifting cultivation destroy the forest ecosystems and has a strong influence on the sustainability of the major NTFPs in the locality.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-019-0219-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

SARS-CoV-2 which causes the corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) continues to spread worldwide, causing death and panic in rural communities with little emergency medical facilities. The efficiency of traditional medicine has become the priority to prevent this pandemic. The aim of this study was to identify local knowledge and forest plant species used by local populations of the Deng-Deng massif forest against the Covid-19 pandemic. Semi-structured questionnaires was used; and inquired including the naturopaths, healers and heads of households (men and/or women). A total of 405 people were interviewed in 22 villages. Available lexicons were used to find correspondence to the vernacular/common names provided by inquired people. Five major Covid-19 symptoms including fever, headache, cough, dyspnea, cold/nasal discharge were identified by local people and 48 forest plants species were identified to prevent these symptoms, while 26 plant species were identified as treatment of specific Covid-19 symptoms. The frequent use of the various plant species for the prevention of the Covid-19 emerged as follow: Alstonia booneii (95%), Annickia chlorantha (72%), Picralima nitida (50%), Pycnanthus ivorensis (20%) and Milicia excelsa (16%). This study confirms the importance of forest plant species in traditional medicine against the Covid-19 pandemic.

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