Vegetation dynamics patterns, biodiversity conservation and structure of forest ecosystems in the wildlife reserve of togodo in togo, West Africa

The importance of protected areas in providing ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation is recognised all over the world by numerous authors. The study aimed to establish a diagnosis of the dynamics of the land use types in the protected area, assess the state of the plant diversity conservation and analyse the structure of the forest ecosystems still preserved in the Wildlife Reserve of Togodo. To this end, the study was based on the analysis of satellite images at three various including Landsat 7 and Landsat 8. These data were supplemented by field survey through the floristic and forestry inventories. The analysis of the dynamic of the ecosystems showed the decline of the forests in the protected area of Togodo of about 11.1% over a period of nearly 30 years and an increase in area of the savanna between 1986 and 2013. In terms of floristic diversity, the 485 species recorded in the Wildlife Reserve of Togodo account for about 15% of the flora of Togo. The analysis of the structural characteristics makes available the necessary indicators for the identification of the appropriate management options to maximize the contribution of forest resources and improve the socio-economic conditions of the population.