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Background Understanding the variation in distribution and abundance of non-timber forest products (NTFP) species is a crucial step in achieving their conservation and sustainable use. At the northern periphery of the Boumba-Bek National Park in Southeast Cameroon, little is known about which habitat type contain the highest abundance of NTFP species. In this study, we assessed habitat diversity and variation in the abundance of eight priority NTFP species comprising: Afrostyrax lepidophyllus, Baillonella toxisperma, Irvingia gabonensis, Panda oleosa, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Ricinodendron heudelotii, Scorodophloeus zenkeri and Tetrapleura tetraptera. The inventory was done along 16 linear transects of 5000 m × 20 m, and all the individuals, from juveniles (DBH 5 cm) of the eight NTFPs were recorded. Habitat types were characterized along transects following basic forest classification system used in ecology and then measured. Results In total, 13 different habitat types were identified with young secondary forests and periodically flooded forests representing 32.70% and 26.31% respectively. The least represented habitat was young fallows with Chromolaena odorata (0.08%). Seven NTFPs (A. lepidophyllus, B. toxisperma, I. gabonensis, P. oleosa, P. macrophylla, R. heudelotii and T. tetraptera) were predominantly represented in young secondary forests whereas S. zenkeri was more abundant in young Marantaceae secondary forests. The different types of young secondary forests identified seem to be favourable for the growth of the eight NTFPs. Conclusions This study demonstrated that habitat fragmentation driven by human activities such as industrial logging and shifting cultivation destroy the forest ecosystems and has a strong influence on the sustainability of the major NTFPs in the locality. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-019-0219-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

INTRODUCTION We report the results of the 2006 KUPRI (Kyoto University Primate Research Institute) surveys in Diecke forest, Guinea, Western Africa. Research in the Diecke forest by KUPRI started in 1999 with a preliminary survey. This continued in 2000, with the survey of Nonah and Yossono areas. The main objective was to find a good research site that would allow for comparative studies between different communities of wild chimpanzees. It has been acknowledged, since the first field season, that Diecke chimpanzees crack open nuts (Panda oleosa and Coula edulis) using stone and root anvils and stone hammers. Nut-cracking behaviour had not been observed directly until today and there are very few reports on chimpanzee’s direct observation . The Diecke forest is part of the Guinean Forests and integrates the region comprised by lowland forests, being one important world spot for the biodiversity. These forests survived after the retraction and division of Pleistocene forests, partly due to the ice age that dried the climate cyclically. This forest, Foret Classee de Diecke, is a protected area of 600 km, located in the South-eastern part of Guinea, 50 km west from Bossou, bordering Liberia on the south. The reserve is controlled by the Centre Forestier de N`zerekore, and Diecke biodiversity is managed by a German project located at the Direction Generale de Centres Forestiers, also in N`zerekore. This project, entitled PROGERFOR, focuses on conservation/ reforestation; damage minimization; regional development, and organized the forest in thirty parcels with three levels of protection. Diecke is characterized by a large number of small hills, averaging 350 m of altitude (the highest point being Mont Jna, with 800 m). Two main rivers cross the forest running south: Nye on the west side, and Gbin, divided in Gbin and Gbin-be, on the east side. Secondary waterlines are abundant in the forest creating swamps. In this part of the country, the dry season is very short, from December or January to March or April. Geologically, Diecke is part of the West African craton with Precambrian rocks, essentially igneous and

The Forest of Diecke, about 50 km west of Bossou, is the second largest protected reserve in the region of Guinee Forestiere. This forest is currently an important refuge for endemic species of fauna and flora. It is one of 12 major sites for biodiversity conservation in West Africa. In 1999, Kyoto University Primate Research Institute (KUPRI) initiated chimpanzee research is this area to gather comparative data to the long-term site of Bossou, as Diecke chimpanzees use stone and wooden tools to crack nuts of Panda oleosa and Coula edulis. Between 2006 and 2008, the first surveys with an etho-archaeological approach focused on regional variations in stone-tool use within different groups of wild chimpanzees to study the emergence of technology. These pilot surveys, carried out with the cooperation of local teams, expanded our understanding of chimpanzee behavior across a larger expanse of the reserve. We set up temporary camps in the core of the forest and established the first research encampment. In 2009, we broadened the research scope, mapping raw material sources, and measuring their availability along 4-km-long transect lines and quadrats. An archaeological excavation revealed strata harboring stone artifacts. In addition, for the first time the chimpanzees of Diecke were photographed and video-recorded. The main results are reported here concerning the state of the art of chimpanzee research mainly during the first research period: recording and monitoring of new nut-cracking sites; indirect records of the presence of the chimpanzees; diversity between Bossou and Diecke nut-cracking technologies; and descriptions of the ecology and the geomorphology of the area, and the conservation management of the forest of Diecke, aimed at understanding the impact of human harvest of resources.

Indirect evidence was collected in Ivory Coast for the use of sticks and stones by chimpanzees to open the nuts of Coula edulis and Panda oleosa. 26 nut-smashing places at 15 different sites are described.

Panda oleosa Pierre, a West African tree known for its edible, oil-bearing seeds, is at present the sole representative of the genus Panda Pierre, of the family Pandaceae, and of the order Pandales. When Pierre first described this plant, however, he proposed that Microdesmis Hook.f., then (and still) in the Euphorbiaceae, should be included together with Panda in the same family. Shortly after, he suggested that Galearia Zoll. & Mor., also in Euphorbiaceae, was even closer to Panda and should therefore also be included in the new family. Unfortunately, Pierre's main reason for suggesting an affinity between these three genera was based on faulty observation. Following the subsequent correction of Pierre's error, botanists failed to see the true resemblances which actually link the genera. Engler went so far as to create a distinct order for the solitary species of Panda-the Pandales. New knowledge concerning Galearia now provides confirmation that Pierre's conclusion was correct, even though his reasons were wrong.