COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PLANT DIVERSITY AND CARBON STOCKS OF BALENG’S FOREST RESERVE AND SACRED FOREST IN THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS OF CAMEROON

In the degraded highland landscape of western Cameroon, forest reserves and sacred forests, which are subject to forest law and community/traditional management regimes, respectively, are among the forest relics important for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. In the Baleng community, these two types of management co-exist, and little information is available on their potential. Thus, this study aimed to compare the woody diversity and carbon stocks in the Baleng’s reserve and sacred forest. Inventory data collection was carried out in 21 randomised plots of 30 m × 30 m each. Species richness of the sacred forest is significantly lower different from that of the forest reserve (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, p=0.0057). Five vulnerable species were identified in these forests, including three in the reserve and two in the sacred forest, as well as two near-threatened species, one in each site. The Shannon index (2.50–2.63) indicated moderate diversity in these two forest areas. The Sorensen index (30%) showed a low floristic affinity. Structural parameters, such as stem density and basal area, did not show any significant differences, with values of 220±171 stems·ha-1 and 22.97±12.86 m²·ha-1 for the reserve and 360±103 stems·ha-1 and 35.18±6.24 m²·ha-1 for the sacred forest. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitneytest showed that carbon stocks have a lower-significant difference in the reserve (120.08±57.43 MgC·ha-1) and sacred forest (194.39±56.69 MgC·ha-1) (p=0.02). Despite their small size, these forests can be considered as biodiversity conservation reservoirs and carbon sinks for climate change mitigation. It is therefore suggested that sacred forests be integrated into sustainable ecosystem management policies in Cameroon.