Fisheries in the Southern Border Zone of Takamanda - Impact ...

Vegetation Assessment
• Agricultural encroachment in TFR has affected
patches of forest vegetation, some of which are
extensive, particularly in the lowland forest
formation that contains the greatest floristic
diversity.
• Uncontrolled and destructive harvesting of nontimber
forest products is having a deleterious effect
on the populations of certain high-value plants
(particularly Carpolobia spp. and Massularia
acuminata). This exploitation will undoubtedly
increase as access is “improved” through current
road-building plans.
• Although very little timber exploitation has occurred
within TFR, intensive logging activities undertaken
in places such as the Kekukusem-Takamanda area
suggest this might not be the case for much longer.
• Intensive hunting is having an as-yet unquantified
effect on the remaining flora of the area. Elimination
of the faunal agents of pollination and seed dispersal
will affect the regeneration potential of many plant
species over the long term.
• Annual burning of high-altitude grassland by
nomadic cattle herders to provide fresh grazing land
is having a negative impact on the remaining areas of
montane forest. The fires often spread into the forest,
seriously affecting regeneration and thereby causing
the forest to shrink and the tree line to recede.
Burning is also destroying the transition zone—often
the habitat of many unique plant species—between
forest and grassland to the extent that there is little, if
any, transition zone. The forest abruptly ends, and
grassland begins.
6 Conclusion and Recommendations
for Conservation
Broadly speaking, TFR forest formations are species rich
and diverse, qualities that are enhanced by the confluence
of several habitat types in the area. The Reserve is special
in that it represents a sharp gradation from lowland forest
to sub-montane (highland) forest with intact associated
floristic variations. These forests are home to a wide
range of other biological taxa that also exhibit remarkable
diversity.
The unique biological and socio-economic nature of
the region makes implementation of applied
conservation and sustainable management strategies a
priority. Establishment of a focused, long-term
monitoring and research program will determine the
efficacy of such efforts (Comiskey and Dallmeier this
volume).
Based on the findings of this report, key
recommendations for the conservation and management
of TFR are:
• In relation to floristic conservation priority, our
surveys indicate that all areas are of equal
importance. While lowland forest formations,
notably the ridge forest, contain the greatest levels of
diversity, the occurrence of taxa of greater
conservation need lie at higher altitudes. In short, the
presence of an intricate mosaic of forest types within
each vegetation classification provides a patchwork
of highly diverse, yet unique, habitats within the
entire TFR area. In addition, there are few protected
areas remaining in Cameroon that exhibit the full
range of vegetation gradients from lowland forests to
high-altitude grassland. Therefore, TFR is of
extreme national and international conservation
interest. The implication of these findings is that
conservation and management efforts should focus
on the vegetation of TFR in its entirety.
• To “measure” the efficacy of conservation and
management initiatives within TFR, it is imperative
to monitor over time any changes in vegetation and
floristic composition. Such a vegetation assessment
provides a baseline from which the monitoring
program can be further developed. The 10 BDPs
should be reassessed in 2004 and at subsequent fiveyear
intervals. These guidelines should form the
basis of a long-term strategy for vegetation
monitoring. It is important to develop the
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SI/MAB Series #8, 2003