e methodology is based on literature review and floristic and equipment inventory. Nine green spaces spread over two out of nine townships in the capital city. Four are located in Bacongo and five in Poto-Poto. According to the classification standards, 5 squares and 4 gardens were studied. Except for one square, all the others, including the gardens, are planted with trees. e equipment inventory lists 183 benches, including 63.83% permanently and/or partially in the sun, 4 playgrounds, no games for children, and 3 cultural monuments. e flora and health of the trees stands shows 186 trees and 279 shrubs, all corresponding to 26 species. An examination of the health status reveals that 57% of trees show anthropogenic injuries. Floral analysis shows that exotic plants (76.92%) predominate over local plants (23.07%). e average basal area of trees in all green spaces is 1.95 m 2 ·ha − 1 . e diametric structure is erratic within all green spaces, with a dominance of large diameter subjects. is leads to poor natural regeneration of woody plants. e green spaces in Brazzaville, which are very unevenly distributed within the urban fabric, do not meet the international standards disseminated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and do not fully play their biodiversity conservation and recreational and ecological functions. History of green spaces in Brazzaville states that no creation was born after independence. e existing land has been reduced in size, and the new land has been used for other purposes.

The perception of ecosystem goods and services by local residents is studied in Brazzaville, around the periurban forest of Djoumouna. This study, which documents the ecosystem services provided to communities by this ecosystem facing anthropogenic degradation, evaluates the understanding and consideration of these functions, according to socioprofessional categories. Socioeconomic and ethnobotanical surveys conducted among the group of informants are supported by direct field observations and literature review. The data collected within a 2 km radius around the forest were subjected to descriptive and statistical analysis. The group of informants, including all socioprofessional strata, was organised into 4 age groups and involved 143 heads of household aged from 15 to over 45. The survey reveals 14 ecosystem services that fall into three categories. The provisioning services included food, wood energy, pharmacopoeia, and wood services. The regulatory functions cited are maintaining air quality, shade, erosion control, and windbreak. Recognized sociocultural services are the source of income, recreation, and ecotourism, source of inspiration, fishing, initiation sanctuary, and hunting. According to gender, men are more dependent on the forest than women, and those aged 15–25 and over 45 are the most active. The socioprofessional scale shows an unequal exploitation of the forest. The informants, at least for the majority, integrate the notions of the value of ecosystem services, provided by the Djoumouna periurban forest, into their daily lives. Finally, the study highlights the social and ecological value of periurban and urban forests in the daily lives of people and urban resilience.

The spatial analysis of the flora of the peri-urban forest of Djoumouna has been conducted in Brazzaville, Congo. Data collection, conducted from April to August 2017, is based on a floristic inventory of 75 plots of each 400 m 2 (20 m x 20 m). The study shows 898 trees of dbh ≥ 10 cm corresponding to 106 species and 36 families. The number of individuals per plot averages 11.97 ± 0.42 feet/plot while the number of species per plot averages 7.37 ± 0.30. The land used by projecting the trunk sections is on average 0.74 ± 0.05 m 2 /plot. The Jaccard similarity coefficient between plots is between 0 and 75% while the average Skewness is 1.26 ± 0.11. The average Shannon index is 1.77 ± 0.05 per plot with an average maximum diversity of 1.93 ± 0.04. The average Pielou index is 0.91 ± 0.01. The absolute diversity index averages 6.54 ± 0.29 while α-Fisher averages 11.44 ± 1.39. The average value of the Green index is-0.04 ± 0.01 and finally 7.55% of taxa have a rarefaction index of species between 40 and 77% compared to 92.45% where this index varies from 81 to 99%. The upward hierarchical classification and the AFC highlight the presence of floristic subfacies resulting from taxa independence. Since most species have a density of less than 1 tree.ha-1 , the floristic composition is heterogeneous, resulting in insufficient natural regeneration and low resilience of this ecosystem threatened with extinction in the very short term.

A study of the relationship between man and his environment was carried out in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo in the peri-urban forest of Djoumouna. Socio-economic and ethnobotanical surveys conducted among the human populations in riparian areas were supported by direct field observations and a review of the literature. Data were collected from a 2 km zone of influence around the Djoumouna forest. The group of survey participants, organized into four age groups, included all socio-professional categories and was made up of 143 heads of household. The survey participants were of both genders and ranged in age from 15 to over 45 years old. Ethnobotanical indicators were used as data analysis tools, specifically, ethnobotanical use-value, survey participant consensus factor, and level of fidelity. This study identified 13 plant species and more than 14 animal taxa as Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) of animal and plant origin. Most of the taxa listed are used in traditional foods and/or phytotherapy. The low values of some ethnobotanical indicators show that these NTFPs, which are not highly sought after and valued by the population, are also rare in this peri-urban ecosystem. This observation is also valid when considering the involvement of survey participants by age group. However, the survey participant consensus factor reflects a unanimity of traditional exploitation of these NTFPs within the society. The analysis of the ethnobotanical data clearly show a difference in the level of exploitation of NTFPs between genders with men having more interest in finding and using NTFPs. Finally, the study indicates (i) gender specialization is associated with NTFP activities and exploitation, and (ii) a progressive erosion of traditional knowledge is occurring between age groups.

Le maraîchage urbain joue un rôle très important dans la sécurité alimentaire et la résorption du chômage. Cependant, l’intensification des pratiques culturales peuvent altérer les propriétés physicochimiques des sols et réduire les rendements. La présente étude avait pour but de caractériser les pratiques culturales maraîchères à Brazzaville et de déterminer leur influence sur les propriétés physicochimiques des sols. Dans les sites retenus, des enquêtes structurées ont été menées auprès des maraîchers et des échantillons de sol ont été prélevés suivant des transects. Les analyses physiques et chimiques des sols ont été réalisées suivant les procédures courantes de laboratoire. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les pratiques culturales dans les sites étudiés sont intensives. Les sols étudiés sont sableux à plus de 95%, acides, pauvres en matière organique et ont une CEC relativement faibles. Cependant on relève une sursaturation en bases échangeables sur l’ensemble des sites. Ainsi, cette sursaturation serait liée à l’intensification des pratiques culturales. Urban market gardening plays a very important role in food security and the reduction of unemployment. However, intensification of soil use can alter soil properties and reduce yields. This study aims to characterize vegetable farming practices in Brazzaville and to determine their influence on soil properties. In the selected sites, structured questionnaire was conducted among market gardeners and soil samples were taken following transects. Soil physical and chemical analyses were carried out following lab common procedures. The results showed that the cultivation practices in the sites studied are intensive. The soils studied are more than 95% sandy, acidic, low in organic matter and have a relatively low CEC. However, there is an oversaturation in exchangeable bases on all sites. Thus, this oversaturation would be linked to the intensification of cultural practices.