The Biolama Project: the conservation of the biodiversity of the classified forest of Lama in Benin. The arthropods

The forest of Lama is one of the last vestiges of the semi-deciduous forest of the “Dahomey gap” which separates the blocks of moist forests of West and Central Africa. Composed of natural forest, degraded forest and plantations, the heart of an area of 4 759 ha, is surrounded by plantations of teak and other exotic species for the production of lumber and firewood (9 000 ha).
The Lama forest, that shelters several rare species of animals and plants, has benefited from the status of “classified forest”; it is of primordial importance for the conservation of biodiversity in Benin. In spite of many studies and inventories relating to global biological diversity, the arthropods have only been briefly noted in the central heartland which is the most protected part. The aim of the Biolama project (Biodiversity in the classified forest of Lama: scientific partnership between the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin and the Institute of Environmental Sciences (NLU) – Biogeography of the University of Bâle in Switzerland) is to study and specify the role and the ecological functions of forest plantations for the conservation of biodiversity in a forest environment by taking the communities of arthropods as a biological model. In addition to the natural forest, the Biolama project thus also included the plantations of teak, firewood and isolated forests.
A comparative inventory of the arthropods was carried out in nine types of forest. The process of decomposition of the leaf litter, the role of the participating detritivores as well as the diversity and the activity of termites were 560 studied. Research on the beetles associated with dead wood are ongoing and several other research activities are planned.
The first results show the similarities between the communities of arthropods of degraded forests and young plantations as well as the high diversity of arthropods living in the old teak plantations and the isolated forests. The natural forest appears to be an environment that is more favorable to the decomposition of leaf litter than the plantations and it shelters more invertebrates associated with litter.

Auteurs: 

Serge Attignon, Thibault Lachat, Brice Sinsin, Peter Nagel, Ralf Peveling

Adresses:

Université d'Abomey Calavi, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Appliquée (UAC/FSA/LEA)- Bénin- 03 BP 1974 Cotonou, Benin Tel: +229 21 36 01 26 / +229 21 31 79 93/229 21 30 30 84
Fax: +229 21 30 30 84