Structural Characteristics, Ecology, and Dynamics of Plant-Communities in Toffo Forest Plantations (Benin, West Africa): Lessons Learnt for Forest Sites Identification, Forest Productivity, and a Sustainable Management of the Forest Resources

Abstract

Research works were carried out in the forest plantations of Toffo reserve (N 6°51′ to N 6°53′ and E 2°05′ to 2°10′). The objectives of the research were to identify and characterize the plant communities of the forest in relation to the ecological factors and the productivity of the forest plantation so as to enable a sustainable management of the forest and biodiversity conservation. In order to achieve those objectives, we used the approach of integrated synusial phytosociology in the study of vegetation; inventories of plantations were made in plant communities so as to identify the levels of productivity of the forest plantations within plant-communities. From the main results achieved, based on the spatial-temporal relationships of the twenty-one (21) synusia (elementary plant-communities) described, they were combined to describe and characterize nine (09) phytocoenoses (more complex plant-communities). The study of the productivity level of plantations within the undergrowth phytocoenoses helped to identify three (03) plantation productivity levels. Finally, the relationships between phytocoenoses, ecological factors, and plantation productivity enabled us to identify and map four (04) forest sites. Taking into account the potentialities and constraints of each forest site, we recommended silvicultural operations to enable sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.