The classified peri-urban forest of Kua from Burkina Faso must not be declassified for ecological reasons

Abstract Densification of urban areas and rapid urbanization result in land scarcity in the Sahelian cities of West Africa. Therefore, urban greenspaces are increasingly coveted for socio-economic development. This is the case of the peri-urban forest of Kua in Burkina Faso which has been subject of controversies between ecologists and decision makers who intended to declassify this forest for hospital project. The lack of ecological evidence on this forest fueled the dichotomous conflicts between environment protection and urban planning. Hence, this study aimed to assess the ecological characteristics of the peri-urban forest of Kua. Dendrometric measurements of 2993 individuals were performed in 106 plots across the peri-urban forests of Kua and Dindéresso. We computed and compared tree diversity metrics, structural parameters and carbon stocks between the two forests. The findings revealed a γ–diversity of 40 woody species from 38 genera and 16 families in Kua forest. Through the diversity metrics, we found that the peri-urban forest of Kua exhibited lower tree diversity than the peri-urban forest of Dindéresso (p-value < 0.05). Similarly, tree density was significantly lower (p-value < 0.05) in Kua (212.446 ± 291.65 ind. ha −1 ) than in Dindéresso (378.461 ± 298.89 ind. ha −1 ). However, carbon stock was two times significantly higher (p-value < 0.05) in Kua (26.21 ± 31.27 Mg.ha −1 ) than in Dindéresso (13.389 ± 15.95 Mg.ha −1 ), highlighting the high potential of this forest in carbon sequestration. This study demonstrated that the peri-urban forest of Kua – despite its lower tree diversity and density – constitutes important carbon pools and sinks. Therefore, this forest must not be declassified, but should rather be reinforced through management plans and conservation actions. To sustain urban development, land management policies promoting the conservation of greenspaces are required to reduce biodiversity loss and carbon emissions in urban centers.