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Affem Boussou community forest (AFC) abounds in important biological resources. This study, which contributes to its better management, examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of the vegetation and its ecological and structural characteristics to propose a zoning plan for said forest. The analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use in the AFC from Google Earth images of 2015, 2018, and 2021 revealed a regressive trend of formations: crops and fallows (−33.98%), dense dry forests (−7.92%), gallery forests (−3.46%), plantations (−100%), grassy savannahs, and meadows (−18.84%), except for tree/shrub savannahs (484.23%). The floristic inventory identified 163 species divided into 129 genera and 55 families. Fabaceae (14.02%), and Combretaceae (10.55%) are the most represented families. Anogeissus leiocarpa (5.19%) and Vitellaria paradoxa (4.72%) are the most frequent species. We note the dominance of individuals of small diameters. The regeneration potential of the AFC is 64 feet/ha due to 21 feet/ha of suckers, 29 feet/ha of seedlings, and 14 feet/ha of shoots. As a zoning plan, the AFC was subdivided into four zones: the agroforestry zone (18.80%), the sustainable production forest zone (42.22%), the buffer zone (11%), and the biological conservation zone (28%). These results constitute a scientific basis for testing ecological indicators of the sustainable management of community forests in Togo.

In recent years, Togo's protected areas have been subject to a worrying process of anthropisation. This has led to a decline in forest ecosystems, their biodiversity and their functions. The general objective of this study is to assess the state of conservation of the classified forest of Amou-Mono between 1986 and 2021. More specifically, it aims to: (i) characterize the dynamics of land use from 1986, 2000, 2013 and 2021 and, (ii) assess the impact of changes in land use on the potential for carbon sequestration. A multi-date classification of Landsat images for the years 1986, 2000, 2013 and 2021 made it possible to quantify and assess changes in occupation. The dynamics of land use between 1986 and 2021 is mainly reflected by a regression of dense/riparian forests (81.40%) and open forests/wooded savannahs (67.79%) and the progression of wooded/shrubby Savannah (172.93%). Anthropogenic formations: Fields/fallow and Agglomerations/Bare soils, absent in 1986, occupy in 2021 respective proportions of 38.1 % and 2.19%. Human activities, particularly logging and agricultural clearing, are causing fragmentation and regression of forest ecosystems. Unless action is taken to reverse the trend, the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions in this classified forest will be increasingly threatened.

The investigation of natural products used in Traditional Medicine in Africa is complicated as modern analytical and screening methods are often not available. Computer aided product identification from traditional usage records (CAPITURE) may provide an interesting alternative and has been evaluated in the context of an ethnobotanical survey on fungal diseases and their traditional treatment in Tchamba District (Togo). 53 traditional healers were interviewed and their knowledge recorded. Several indicators, the Use Value (UV), Plant Part Value (PPV), Specific Use (SU) Value, Intraspecific Use Value (IUV) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), were applied to the data. Those indices, in addition to a bibliographic review, were then fed into a computer-aided approach which predicted two interesting plants out of the 43 species survey-recorded and their specific activities: Pterocarpus erinaceus sap against ringworm, Daniellia oliveri sap against intertrigo and respectively their roots and trunk barks against candidiasis. Subsequent laboratory-based studies have confirmed the predicted antimicrobial activities with MIC (128 μg/mL to 30 mg/mL) and without any notable toxicity on a normal human cell (MRC-5 cells). Although such a method may not be flawless, it is able to provide first leads, and in the face of limited resources, is an attractive alternative worth considering.

In the context of climate change, the need to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 is no longer in doubt, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study of the landscape within 10 km of the Donomadé model farm, southeastern Togo, researchers sought to assess vegetation health in ecosystems and agrosystems, including their capacity to produce biomass for agroecological practices. Sentinel-2 sensor data from 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022 were preprocessed and used to calculate the normalized vegetation fire ratio index (NBR), the vegetation fire severity index (dNBR), and CASA-SEBAL models. From these different analyses, it was found that vegetation stress increased across the landscape depending on the year of the time series. The research estimated that 9952.215 ha, 10,397.43 ha, and 9854.90 ha were highly stressed in 2015, 2017, and 2020, respectively. Analysis of the level of interannual severity revealed the existence of highly photosynthetic areas that had experienced stress. These areas, which were likely to have been subjected to agricultural practices, were estimated to be 8704.871 ha (dNBR2017–2015), 8253.17 ha (dNBR2020–2017), and 7513.93 ha (dNBR2022–2020). In 2022, the total available biomass estimated by remote sensing was 3,741,715 ± 119.26 kgC/ha/y. The annual average was 3401.55 ± 119.26 kgC/ha/y. In contrast, the total area of healthy vegetation was estimated to be 4594.43 ha, 4301.30 ha, and 4320.85 ha, in 2015, 2017, and 2022, respectively. The acceptance threshold of the net primary productivity (NPP) of the study area was 96%. The coefficient of skewness (0.81 ± 0.073) indicated a mosaic landscape. Productive and functional ecosystem components were present, but these were highly dispersed. These findings suggest a great opportunity to promote agroecological practices. Mulching may be an excellent technique for enhancing overall ecosystem services as targeted by the SDGs, by means of reconversion of plant biomass consumed by vegetation fires or slash-and-burn agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding a species' current and future potential habitat is crucial to design its policy for management and cultivation practices that are more resilient in the face of climate change. This study assessed the present-day distribution and predicted the potential effect of climate change on the distribution of Anacardium occidentale's habitat in Togo under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) by 2055. Maximum Entropy algorithm, 2538 species occurrence records, and a combination of 23 climate- and soil-related variables were used. Soil, isothermality, temperature seasonality, and annual precipitation are the most significant environmental factors affecting the distribution of the species in Togo. Based on the current model, 54.45% of the Togolese landscape is favourable for cashew development, mainly in the plains of Guinean and Sudanese savannahs. Unfavourable areas (15.20%) are in the southern mountainous areas of Togo and coastal areas. An increase in favourable areas and a slight decrease in unfavourable and moderately favourable areas are predicted by 2055, considering the two scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background: Forest ecosystems have the capacity to regulate the climate as sink of carbon. This function allows them to maintain the ecological balance of the planet. Given the intensity of the ever-increasing human pressures on these ecosystems, it is urgent to quantify and spatialize their carbon storage potential in time and space in order to implement more appropriate environmental management practices and policies. Goal and objectives: The present study, which focused on the structure of woodland formations and carbon modeling of the Classified Forest of Missahohoé (CFM), intends to contribute to the sustainable management of protected areas in Togo. More specifically, it aims to: (i) determine the vegetation structure of the FCM and (ii) model the carbon in the MCF. Methodology: The methodology consisted on forest mensuration within 27 plots sized 50 m x 20 m. Dendrometric data were used to characterized the structure of the woodland formations, to estimate biomass and carbon stocks. The InVEST and MOLUSCE models combined with Landsat images was used to predict carbon sequestration for the year 2035 based on observed changes in this forest ecosystem. Results: The results of the diameter class structure reveal that these woodlands are dominated by young tree reflecting strong anthropogenic pressure namely shifting fields and illegally extraction of firewood. Between 2020 and 2035, for the whole target classified forest, a gain of 627.75 Mg of carbon is predicted. On the other hand, at the level of land use units, riparian/dense forests and tree/shrub savannahs will experience a carbon loss of -9.21% and -1.61% respectively. The economic value of the total carbon that would be sequestered in 2035 by the FCM is estimated at $3,197,148.85. The total loss of ecosystem service value in the two land use units from 2020 to 2035 would be $58,851.98. This study recommends restoration/reforestation as the most practical strategy for mitigating carbon loss and calls for increased access to renewable energy sources for local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon stocks in forest ecosystems, when released as a result of forest degradation, contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To quantify and assess the rates of these changes, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that the REDD+ mechanism use a combination of Earth observational data and field inventories. To this end, our study characterized land-cover changes and forest-cover dynamics in Togo between 1985 and 2020, using the supervised classification of Landsat 5, 7, and 8 images on the Google Earth Engine platform with the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. Overall image classification accuracies for all target years ranged from 0.91 to 0.98, with Kappa coefficients ranging between 0.86 and 0.96. Analysis indicated that all land cover classes, which were identified at the beginning of the study period, have undergone changes at several levels, with a reduction in forest area from 49.9% of the national territory in 1985, to 23.8% in 2020. These losses of forest cover have mainly been to agriculture, savannahs, and urbanization. The annual change in forest cover was estimated at −2.11% per year, with annual deforestation at 422.15 km2 per year, which corresponds to a contraction in forest cover of 0.74% per year over the 35-year period being considered. Ecological Zone IV (mountainous, with dense semi-deciduous forests) is the one region (of five) that has best conserved its forest area over this period. This study contributes to the mission of forestry and territorial administration in Togo by providing methods and historical data regarding land cover that would help to control the factors involved in forest area reductions, reinforcing the system of measurement, notification, and verification within the REDD+ framework, and ensuring better, long-lasting management of forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background: The roast palm parklands remain one of the most striking elements of the Savannah region of Togo. Given the importance of this resource for the local population, knowledge of their diversity and demographic structure is necessary for better management of roast palm plant communities throughout the Savannah region of Togo. Goal and objectives: The study carried out in the region of Savannahs of Togo contributes to the sustainable management of agroforestry parklands in Togo. It aims at: (i) mapping of the spatial distribution of Borassus species (Borassus aethiopum and Borassus akeassi) and (ii) characterize the diversity and the demographic structure of roast palm parklands in the Savannah Region of Togo. Methodology: Forest inventories were done within roast palm agroforestry parklands within plots 50 m X 50 m. Based on these inventories, diversity and dendrometry characteristics of the target parklands determined. Mapping consisted of the spatialization of densities by the interpolation. Results: B. aethiopum is mostly represented than B. akeassii found which is found punctually in a few locations. Roast palms parkland diversity was estimated to 23 plant species belonging to 21 genera and 14 families. Three (3) roast palm parklands were discriminated: mixed parks, B. aethiopum parks, and B. akeassii parks. The most represented families are: the Arecaceae (61 %) and the Sapotaceae (13 %). There is the dominance of mesophanerophytes (76 %) and transition species, Guineo-Congolese/Sudano-Zambezian. B. aethiopum mean diameter is 47.91 ± 1.54 cm, with a basal area and density 6.98 ± 2.33 m2/ha and 29.33 ± 1.66 stems/ha respectively. B. akeassii mean diameter is about 42.45 ± 1.61 cm with a basal area and mean density 3.43 ± 1.77 m²/ha and 18.5 ± 1.66 stems/ha respectively. Both the two target species mean regeneration rate is 61.29 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Togo, a little is known about latex plants of the flora used for medicinal purposes. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the latex plant species and their medicinal uses in the Maritime Region of Togo. Materials and Methods: The methodology was based on ethnobotanical semi-structural individual interviews of 220 informants. Quantitative ethnobotanical index was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 33 latex plants species were recorded, from 12 botanical families and 24 genera. The most represented families were Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae with eight species each. The relative importance (RI) value of each species and the informant consensus factor (ICF) of the ailments categories showed that Pergularia daemia (Forssk.) Chiov. (RI = 2.00) and Euphorbia hirta L. (RI = 1.91) were the most versatile in relation to their uses, and infectious diseases (ICF = 0.922) were the category with the greatest consensus among 17 categories. Conclusion: These latex plants of Togolese flora are variously used in traditional medicine and it would be important to undertake further investigations in phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology to validate their uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between human beings, their culture, and their environment has high importance in the framework of sustainable management of natural resources. This study aimed to assess the local uses of Sterculia setigera Delile within rural communities in Togo. Inquiries involving 15 ethnic groups were used to assess the interethnic convergence by using 4 use indices: reported use, plant part value, specific reported use, and intraspecific use value. The mean reported uses showed significant difference between geographic zones, ethnic groups, age, and occupations, but no significant difference between genders was found. Pharmacopeia (67%), followed by magico-mystic (15%) and food (10%) were the main quoted uses. The most used organ was the bark. Decoction was mentioned as the most used method of preparation. Considering the socio-economic and cultural importance of this species, it is important to promote its integration in agroforestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Holarrhena floribunda is a plant of wide usage in the Togolese folk medicine. A previous ethnobotanical survey on the latex plants of the Maritime region of the country revealed that this plant was included in several recipes curing malaria and microbial infections. Therefore, this study aimed to seek for the effectiveness of the ethanolic extract of the plant in the treatment of these diseases., Methods: The antimicrobial test was performed using the agar well-diffusion and the NCCLS broth microdilution methods, while the in vivo antimalarial activity was evaluated following the four-day suppressive test of Peters. The acute toxic effects of the extract were monitored after a single oral dose (5,000 mg/kg body weight) administration in NMRI mice., Results: The results indicated that the ethanolic extract of leaves of H. floribunda was active on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae with MICs ranging from 0.62 to 1.25 mg/mL. The extract also showed significant parasitaemia suppression in a dose-dependent manner. In the acute toxicity assay, the oral administration of the extract to the mice did not affect the relative weight of vital organs, and there were no signs of toxicity or death during the study period. The LD50 of the tested extract was found to be greater than 5,000 mg/kg, indicating its safety., Conclusion: This study demonstrates the antibacterial and antimalarial activities of leaves of H. floribunda and then, supports its medicinal use in the treatment of microbial infections.