Approches analytiques d'évaluation de la diversité et de la valeur en ...

Approches analytiques d’évaluation de la diversité et de
la valeur en conservation des plantes
Centre de formation de la Lopé, Lopé, République du Gabon
21 - 28 August 2005
Report prepared by David Kenfack, Gretchen Walters, & Mike Balinga
Smithsonian Institution and Missouri Botanical Garden
30 October 2005

Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4
Funding and Roles of Organizers............................................................................... 4
Instructors......................................................................................................................... 5
Students ............................................................................................................................ 6
Course content ................................................................................................................ 7
Post-evaluation ............................................................................................................. 10
Future directions........................................................................................................... 11
Annexe 1: List of Participants, Organisers, and Instructors………….………..13
Annexe 2: Program………….…………………………………………….………….14
Annexe 3: Local Press Coverage in Gabon’s major newspaper……..………17
2

Summary
Capacity building is a noteworthy and essential task in Central Africa. Sustainable
conservation strategies depend on training local people in methodologies necessary to
keep initiatives alive. Capacity building is therefore a key part of CARPE activities
occurring throughout the landscapes on various levels and at various sites. This year’s
CARPE workshop was the second in Phase II dealing specifically with training botanical
technicians who deal directly with fieldwork demanded by many CARPE projects. This
year’s workshop focused on data analysis as a natural follow up to the field methods
course that was held last year in Limbe, Cameroon.
The Smithsonian Institution (SI) and the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) organized
this workshop. WCS-Gabon contributed matching support at the Lope Training Center;
the Herbier National du Gabon (HNG) handled logistics. Training, planning, and
instruction was coordinated by the Réseau des Botanistes d’Afrique Centrale (REBAC)
with students coming from 6 CARPE landscapes, 6 countries, and 10 institutions.
Prior to the workshop, participants had all conducted quantitative data collection as part
of various CARPE and non-CARPE projects; most lacked knowledge of basic data
analysis procedures. Furthermore, many did not understand the wider purpose of their
work. During the intense 8-day course, students continually expressed their contentment
at finally gaining the capacity to manage their field data and produce basic results from
fieldwork. Several are now planning independent projects, applying for scholarships, and
planning to present their work at regional meetings.
These initiatives will enhance CARPE activities in the future, as students are now able to
do basic reporting on their fieldwork and draw conclusions from their results. With more
practice and mentoring, several of these students will become leaders in their field sites.
In order to ensure their success, several students are being mentored. Future workshop
suggestions include grant proposal writing and report writing. It is hoped that future
CARPE workshops can be tailored to fit these and other needs, thus increasing regional
fieldwork capacity.
Left: Mireille Ndoundou (WCS-Congo) and Raymonde Mboma (IRET-Gabon) focus on a
lecture. Middle: Peguy Tchouto assists Moses Sainge (Cameroon) and Thomas Nzabi
(HNG). Right: Yves Issembe (HNG) conducts the closing ceremony.
3

Introduction
Monitoring our forests of the Congo Basin often comes at the price of hard fieldwork; a
cadre of dedicated botanists and technicians from across the CARPE landscapes make
this work possible and successful. Educational levels vary from technicians who have
never graduated from high school but know a thousand plants upon sight, to professors
and scientists who know the region’s endemic flora through years of work in the field and
herbarium. This combination of levels recently met in Lopé, Gabon to train a new
generation of technicians while reinforcing skills and technical capacities of the botanists
who would be making future conservation decisions on the region’s flora.
Workshops like these are believed to be critical for the success of regional activities that
focus on a vast rainforest spanning most of Central Africa. Considering that
1. the same flora is found through out the countries covered by this forest, howbeit
in different densities and differing patterns of distribution, and
2. these countries are adopting an increasingly regional approach to management of
the Congo Basin forests as attested to by COMIFAC, the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership, as well as joint patrols of Parks and reserves along borders of several
countries (e.g. Nouabalé-Ndoki NP in Congo, Lobéké in Cameroon and Dzanga
Sangha in CAR), etc.
There is need to harmonise management strategies and as such to deal with training on a
regional level. One important result that is thus achieved is that essential contacts are
made during these workshops that allow south-south and north-south collaboration and
communication among countries and institutions.
The approach of using regional expertise to train CARPE technicians is a useful one. It
reinforces the impact that Africans can have on their conservation decisions by showing
students that training can come from the south and it strengthens regional ties among
institutions and NGO’s planning the workshop by directly involving Africans in the
training, reporting, and planning process.
These workshops are a valuable way to do training. Having garnered much support from
landscape partners, NGO’s, and governmental institutions these past two years, it is
anticipated that the group of technicians being trained will fulfil a variety of roles in
future conservation work.
Funding and Roles of Organizers
Funding for this workshop was secured through CARPE with additional on-site support
from the Wildlife Conservation Society-Gabon. This workshop helps meet CARPE’s
goals of capacity building in the Congo Basin (Intermediate Result 2); local expertise was
utilized to the fullest extent possible, primarily by working with REBAC.
Funding was administrated through SI and MBG. The Herbier National du Gabon and
MBG coordinated logistics in Gabon. SI in Cameroon organized coordination of the
Cameroonian instructors and participants. REBAC organized the content of the
workshop and identified instructors from the region.
4

Instructors
Instructors (full time teachers) and resource people (teachers giving only one or two
sessions) for the workshop were many. The key instructors were from REBAC and
included David Kenfack, Dr Tchouto Peguy, and Dr Ludovic Ngok.
David Kenfack (left), PhD candidate at the University of
Missouri, St. Louis, USA and President of REBAC, has
more than 10 years experience in regional botanical
conservation and data analysis, from analytical
workshops organized by the Centre for Tropical Forest
Science (CTFS) and from working with
several research and conservation programs
in Cameroon.
Dr Ludovic Ngok (left), PhD in Phytosociology from Université
Libre de Bruxelle, is Director of the Herbier National du Gabon and
Assistant Director of the Institute of Research for Tropical Ecology. His
thesis, entitled “Diversité végétale des Inselbergs et dalles rocheuses du nord
Gabon”, deals with various aspects of data collection and choice of
appropriate analysis approaches.
Dr Tchouto Peguy (right), PhD plant Ecology and
conservation Wageningen University, is Lecturer at
the Forestry School of Mbalmayo, Cameroon. His
PhD, entitled “Plant Diversity in a Central African
Rain Forest”, is an example of the methods dealt with
in the workshop. He has experience in botanical data
management and analysis from his work as herbarium
Curator at the Limbe Botanical Garden (Cameroon).
Additional lectures were provided by Kate Abernethy (WCS-Gabon), Michael Balinga
(SI/MAB), Yves Issembe (HNG), Miguel Leal (MBG), Gretchen Walters (MBG), and
Chris Wilks (Gabon).
5

Students
Sixteen participants represented six Central
African countries and haled from numerous
organizations and landscapes (Fig. 1a, upper
right; Annex 1). Three students were female.
All students had previously collected
quantitative data though educational level was
variable among participants: only 63% of the
students had studied for three years beyond
secondary school (Fig. 1b, right center).
However most of them had good computer
skills. Despite this, less than half had above
average knowledge of the spreadsheet based
program Excel (Fig 1c, right bottom) and for
these students, one of their priorities at the
workshop was to increase their knowledge of
this program.
Above: Benoit Nziengui (HNG) and Raoul
Niangadouma (HNG) work together on data
analysis.
6
Countries
Educational Level
Student Instructors Invited speakers
CAMEROUN
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CONGO
DR CONGO
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
GABON
NETHERLAND
UK
USA
Less than A-level A-level
0 2 4 6 8 10
A-level+3 A-level+4 (Maitrise)
A-level+5 (DEA) A-level+8 (Doctorat 3eme cycle)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Knowledge of
Excel
Knowledge of
computer
25
Beginer Average Advanced
56.25
37.5
37.5
37.5
6.25
0 20 40 60 80 100

Left: Kate Abernethy (WCS-Gabon/CIRMF) gives a history of research done at the
Station des Etudes et Chimpanzees, Lope. Center: Mike Balinga (SI) instructs on plot
methodology. Right: Chris Wilks leads a discussion on the IUCN constraints of
classifying timber species in Africa.
The Lope training Centre
The workshop took place at the Lope training Centre, Gabon which has a good internet
facility and a computer room with seven PC laptops, plus access to the Lope National
Park and the Station des Etudes des Gorilles et Chimpanzees . Two students came with
their personal laptops and together with the seven laptops of the Center; there were
enough computers to pair up the students for the tutorials. WCS-Gabon helped to
provide logistical support. Dr. Kath Jeffries was particularly effective in organizing the
Center’s contribution to the workshop.
Course content
The course covered the following topics (Annex 2):
· Current research in Central Africa (and associated analysis)
· Basics of Excel
· Vegetation analysis
· Evaluation of the conservation status of plant species
Current research in Central Africa
The first part of the course was designed to familiarize participants with various types of
vegetation data and their analysis. Presentations of current research carried out in Central
Africa were made in this respect, and included permanent plot, 1-ha plots, smaller plots,
transect and general collections. Study sites discussed included Korup National Park,
Cameroon, Campo Maan Protected Area, Cameroon, and the inselbergs in the Monts de
Cristal, Gabon.
Basics of Excel
Excel was chosen for data analysis because unlike most statistical packages, which are
costly and unaffordable for the vast majority of persons in the region, Excel is the most
7

commonly used spreadsheet and is often already loaded in PC computers when they are
newly purchased. It is easily used to perform basic calculations and includes a variety of
statistical functions and a data analysis ToolPak. Our aim was also to familiarize
participants with the details of the various analyses, rather than teaching them software
without them understanding the basics of the calculations. The lectures included:
· Calculation operators in excel (arithmetic, comparison and reference operators)
· Entering standard and array functions
· Cleaning data with text functions
· Relative and absolute cell addresses
· Formatting cells
· Creating and editing graphs
· Building lists
· Analysing lists (simple statistics, sorting lists, using filters, etc.)
· Using statistical functions
· Building and working with pivot tables
Vegetation analysis
This part of the course was designed to familiarize the participants with basic analyses of
the vegetation in order to compare the diversity between different landscapes. The
lectures included calculations of species density, relative density, basal area, dominance,
relative dominance, frequency, relative frequency, and the importance value index, all
essential in describing forests where logging impacts, mammal food density, and
biodiversity need assessment. Other topics included diversity indices (Simpson’s Index,
Shannon’s index, Pielou’s Evenness), as well as similarity indices (Jaccard’s index,
Sorenson Index).
For tutorials we used a subset of data from the first census of the Korup Forest Dynamics
Plot (KFDP) in Cameroon. The 1.12 ha data included 28 quadrats of 20x20 m each from
7 topographical habitats of KFDP.
Evaluation of the conservation status of plant species
The participants were exposed to two methods of plant conservation measures. The
IUCN Redlist approach, based on individuals species and the ‘Star rating”, based on
species distribution data to evaluate the conservation status of a given forest, allowing the
choice of areas of high conservation priority. Both methods are increasingly being used to
evaluate the Congo Basin forests, and understanding their use and application is essential
for management. Students shared their experiences on conservation classification at their
project sites and in their respective countries. Emphasis was placed on IUCN
unclassified timber species as well as rare herbs that are often overlooked.
8

Left: Raymonde Mboma (IRET-Gabon), Mireille Ndoundou (WCS-Congo), and Estelle
Bouanda (WCS-Gabon) en route to Lope. Center: Lope Training Center staff graciously
prepared each meal. Right: Miguel Leal (MBG) presents his research on the forests of
Lope National Park.
Networking
The workshop fostered contact and exchange among Central African Biologists while
also providing a forum for discussion of incorporating CARPE projects in the upcoming
international meeting focusing on the study and conservation of the African flora, to be
held in Yaounde (AETFAT: Association des Etudes Taxonomiques de la Flore d’Afrique
Tropicale). Students were encouraged to use the knowledge acquired during this training
to analyse available data from their landscapes and produce manuscripts and posters to
present at the congress. The instructors agreed to help the students with this process.
Support Material
Students were furnished with many materials during the workshop that would enable
them to continue the work post-conference. These materials included basic office
supplies, but also a CD containing all lectures and presentations, and software for
extended data analysis capacity in excel.
9

Post-evaluation
The knowledge of more than 90% of the students was improved in the use of Excel and
in Data Analysis (Fig. 4). They all felt that this improvement was critical for their work.
During post course evaluation, most requested grant proposal writing as the theme of a
future workshop; report writing and extended data analysis were also requested.
Plant conservation
Forest inventory
methods
Data Analysis in Excel
Vegetation analysis
Excel basics
Knowledge improved Knowledge not improved
Usefulness for carreer wish for more trainning in
0 15 30 45 60 75 90
10
Fig. 4. Post workshop
evaluation showed a
marked improvement of
capabilities in using
Excel.
Local Press
During the course of the workshop, a journalist from Gabon’s major daily newspaper
l’Union, covered events. This coverage focused on regional collaboration and the site of
the workshop, Lope National Park (Annex 3).
Local Authorities
The Sous-Préfet as well as the Lopé Park Director
(right) were involved in the planning of the
workshop. Both participated in the opening and
closing ceremonies of the workshop and were
interviewed by the press. Involving them in the
workshop coverage was considered critical to the
local success of the workshop, and engendered a
feeling of ownership of this CARPE activity
occurring in their region.

Future directions
This workshop trained CARPE biologist in data analysis—a tool needed to plan and to
conduct field missions effectively, plan future missions, and target interesting areas for
conservation. Many of these technicians had collected quantitative data for years during
the course of their monitoring work yet had not grasped the significance of the data
collected. This workshop discussed the wider dimensions and applications of their data
for conservation. Most of the participants to the workshop are now able to transform the
raw data that they have been collecting into basic information useful to conservation. We
hope that this trend continues in the future. Many participants now discuss analysing
their data themselves and becoming more proactive in the data collection process. This is
an important step in their development as conservation biologists; without such critical
thinking, they will not develop their own ideas and carry them to completion.
Others: GIS
Scientific publications
Grant proposal writing
Advanced ecological
data analysis
Yes Neutral
0 20 40 60 80 100
11
Fig. 5.
Students made
several
noteworthy
suggestions
for future
CARPE
workshops.
The approach of using local expertise, already adopted during the last CARPE workshop
in Limbe (Cameroon) was proven again very efficient: REBAC demonstrated its
competency in carrying out capacity building in the region. Their contribution in the
organization and instruction was invaluable and demonstrated to the students the higher
reaches of conservation education and application.
This workshop was a logical continuation of the previous one that had focused on data
collection. Following every workshop, we solicit the opinions of workshop attendees. In
this manner, it is possible to evaluate efforts and identify gaps in conservation education
that could be addressed during future workshops. This workshop’s questionnaire elicited
no unanimous answer from the participants (Fig. 5). However, 64% of the participants
identified grant proposal writing as one of the foremost needs in the region; report writing
and data analysis were also recommended. It is hoped that future CARPE funding can in
part address these needs as part of their capacity building exercises.

Left: Gretchen Walters (MBG) presents examples of graphs in research. Center: Denis
Beina (Universite de Bangui) gives a speech thanking the organizers of the workshop.
Right: Domingo Mbomio (INDEFOR-Equatorial Guinea) and Barthelemy Tchiengue
(Herbier National du Cameroun).
Acknowledgements
This workshop was financed by USAID’s CARPE. The organizers wish to thank the
conservator of Lope National Park, the Sous-Préfet, Kath Jeffries, Kate Abernethy,
Miguel Leal, Chris Wilks, Ludovic Ngok, Yves Issembe, Terry Sunderland, and the
numerous women who faithfully organized meals three times a day at the Training
Center. Photos were taken by Michael Balinga, Estelle Bouanga, Bjorn Holland, David
Kenfack, Gretchen Walters, and Chris Wilks.
12

Annex 1: List of Participants, Organisers, and Instructors
Noms et prenoms Organismes Pays Email Adresse + tel
AKOUGHE Delphine HNG GABON dakoughette@yahoo.fr BP 1156 Libreville Tel 241 07 32 45 19
BALINGA Michael SI/MAB CAMEROUN mpbalinga@yahoo.fr BP 437 Limbe Tel 00 237 999 25 10
BEINA Denis Université Bangui CENTRAFRIQUE d_beina@yahoo.fr BP 1450 Universite de Bangui
BOUANGA Estelle WCS/GABON GABON waka@uuplus.com / bouangaestelle@yahoo.fr
BOUSSIENGUI Jean-Noèl HNG GABON iphametra2000@yahoo.fr BP 1935 Libreville Tel 241 07 52 18 87
BUJO Floribert WCS/RDC RDC cefrecof@uuplus.com/floribujo@yahoo.fr 00 243 810 54 5196
ESSONO ESSONO Pablo INDEFOR GUINEE EQUAT p2esono@yahoo.eq INDEFOR Bata BP 207 Tel 240 25 05 74
GRETCHEN Walters MBG/USA USA gretchen.walters@mobot.org MBG PO Box 299 St Louis MO 63166 USA
GRETCHEN Walters MBG/USA USA gretchen.walters@mobot.org BP 1156 Libreville Tel 241 0715 06 92 /
ISSEMBE Yves HNG GABON yvesissembe@yahoo.fr BP 830 Libreville Tel 241 06 03 73 36
KENFACK David REBAC CAMEROUN david.kenfack@mobot.org MBG PO Box 299 St Louis MO 63166 USA
LEAL, Miguel MBG Pays Bas miguel.leal@mobot.org MBG PO Box 299 St Louis MO 63166 USA
LEAL, Miguel MBG Pays Bas miguel.leal@mobot.org BP 1156, Libreville, Gabon
MADIDI Jacob WCS/RDC RDC cefrecof@uuplus.com/jacobmadidi@yahoo.fr Tel 00 243 811 46 18 27
MBAZZA Prosper CIFOR GABON mbazzap.@hotmail.com BP 180 Tel 241 07 96 59 07
MBOMA Raymonde IRET GABON mboma_raymonde@yahoo.fr BP 13354 Libreville Tel 241 07 91 96 29
MBOMIO Domingo INDEFOR GUINEE EQUAT domingombomio@yahoo.fr BP 207 Bata Tel 240 25 05 74
MOUANDZA Jean-Claude WCS/GABON GABON johnsclaudes@yahoo.fr BP 7847
NDOUNDOU-HOCKEMBA M WCS/CONGO CONGO mbeli@uuplus.com
NGOK BANAK Ludovic HNG GABON ludovicngok@hotmail.com BP 1156 Libreville Tel 241 07 88 93 22
NGUEMA Diosdado MBG GABON ddguema2@yahoo.fr Tel 241 07 42 73 84
NIANGADOUMA Raoul HNG GABON BP 1156 Libreville Tel 241 07 35 45 51
NZABI Thomas HNG GABON BP 1156 Libreville Tel 05 30 27 84
NZIENGUI Benoit HNG GABON benziengui@caramail.com BP 7198 Libreville Tel 71 31 39
SAINGE Moses SI/CTFS CAMEROUN sainge2001@yahoo.com University of Buca Po Box 63 Buca
TCHIENGUE Barthelémy HNCAM CAMEROUN btchiengue@yahoo.fr BP 1601 Yaounde Tel 237 785 58 87
TCHOUTO Peguy ENEF/CAM CAMEROUN peguy2000@yahoo.com BP 437 Limbe Tel 00 237 957 98 20
WILKS, Chris GABON wilks_chris@yahoo.co.uk
13

Annex 2 : Program
APPROCHES ANALYTIQUES D’EVALUATION DE LA DIVERSITE ET DE LA VALEUR
EN CONSERVATION DES PLANTES
CENTRE DE FORMATION DE LA LOPE: 21 - 28 AOUT 2005
PROGRAMME
Heure Activité Responsable
Dimanche 21 août
8:00 - 18:00 Arrivée des participants à la Lopé, inscription et
logement
14
L. Ngok, J-N. Boussiengui
& D. Akendoughe
18:00 Cocktail d’ouverture L. Ngok, J-N. Boussiengui
& D. Akendoughe
Lundi 22 août
9:00 Ouverture de l’atelier par Le Préfet de la Lopé, le
responsable du Centre de formation, les
Organisateurs
D. Kenfack, L. Ngok, Y.
Issembe, G. Walters, T.
Sunderland
10:30 Apéritif et Photo d'ensemble L. Ngok
11:00 Introduction à l’atelier D. Kenfack
11:20 Auto présentation des participants et présentation
des données à utiliser pendant l’atelier
Formateurs
13:00 Déjeuné
Analyse et utilisation des données de petites
parcelles: Cas de Campo-Maan
Exemple de données botaniques et leur analyse :
Cas du Projet des grands placeaux
???Exemple de données botaniques et leur analyse :
Cas des parcelles d'un hectare
Exemple de données botaniques et leur analyse :
Cas des inselbergs
Exemple de données botaniques et leur analyse :
Cas des collectes
16:00 Présentation de soirée : Importance de la rigueur
dans la prise des données et de la vérification des
données avant l’analyse
P. Tchouto
D. Kenfack
???T. Sunderland
L. Ngok
G. Walters
P. Tchouto

Mardi 23 août
8:30 Calculs et opérations de base sur Excel D. Kenfack
13:00 Déjeuné
14:30 Analyse des données botaniques et importance des
indices écologiques
16:00 Présentation de soirée : Introduction aux analyses
multivariées
Mercredi 24 août
15
P. Tchouto
L. Ngok
8:30 Calcul des indices écologiques: Pratique D. Kenfack
13:00 Déjeuné
14:30 Indices de diversité et de similarité P. Tchouto
15:30 Calcul des indices de diversité et de similarité D. Kenfack
16:00 Présentation de soirée :
Jeudi 25 août
8:30 Tableaux croisés dynamiques et leur utilisation dans
l’analyse de la végétation
13:00 Déjeuné
14:30 Représentations graphiques des résultats de
recherche sur Excel
16:00 Présentation de soirée : Comment rédiger les
publications scientifiques.
Vendredi 26 août
D. Kenfack
L. Ngok
D. Kenfack
8:30 Excursion dans la forêt de la Lopé Yves Issembe
Samedi 27 août
8:30 Evaluation des catégories et critères de l’UICN pour
la liste rouge
10:30 Evaluation du statut des plantes par le système du
Star rating
13:00 Déjeuné
D. Kenfack
P. Tchouto

14:30 Evaluation du cours, Discussion et recommandations Formateurs
15:30 Remise des attestations Formateurs et organisateurs
18:00 Dîner de clôture L. Ngok, J-N. Boussiengui
& D. Akendoughe
Dimanche 28 août
8 :00 Départ des participants L. Ngok, J-N. Boussiengui
& D. Akendoughe
16

Annex 3: Local Press in l’Union, Gabon’s major daily newspaper
17