DIVERSITY AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISATION OF SPECIES WITH SPECIAL STATUS IN THE YAPO-ABBE CLASSIFIED FOREST (COTE DIVOIRE)

This study was conducted in the Yapo-AbbE classified forest (south-east Cote dIvoire) with the aim of characterising species with special status and assessing their conservation status. Floristic inventories were carried out in three forest blocks (secondary forest, reforested forest and fallow land) using surface and itinerant surveys. A total of 44 species with special status were recorded, belonging to 41 genera and 23 families, with a strong representation of Meliaceae, Fabaceae and Malvaceae.The flora is mainly composed of megaphanerophytes (52%) and Guineo-Congolese species (98%). The Shannon index values revealed low and relatively similar species diversity in the different forest blocks (2.33 H 2.81). Analysis of occurrence frequencies indicates that most species are rare (75 %) , while a few species such as Heritiera utilis, Vitex micrantha and Strephonemapseudocola are more widely represented. These results highlight both the floristic richness and ecological fragility of this forest, emphasizing the need for appropriate conservation measures to ensure the regeneration and long term survival of species with special status.