Trees Diversity and Species with High Ecological Importance for a Resilient Urban Area: Evidence from Cotonou City (West Africa)
Author:
Atchadé Assouhan Jonas12ORCID, Kanda Madjouma2, Folega Fousseni2ORCID, Yédomonhan Hounnankpon3, Dourma Marra2, Wala Kperkouma2, Akpagana Koffi2
Affiliation:
1. Regional Center of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa (CERViDA), University of Lomé, Lomé BP 1919, Togo 2. Laboratory of Botany and Plant Ecology (LBEV), Faculty of Science, University of Lomé, Lomé BP 1919, Togo 3. Botany and Plant Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou 01 BP 4521, Benin
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and climate change effects may cause dramatic changes in ecosystem functions in cities, thereby inevitably affecting the growth performance of old trees. Few studies have explored species diversity and spatial differentiation in Benin urban areas. This study aims to explore this dimension of urban ecology in order to build resilience to climate change in the city of Cotonou. Its objective was to determine the predominant level of tree diversity in the city’s land use units. The urban green frame was subdivided into six land use units, namely, establishments, residences, green spaces, commercial areas, administrative areas, and roads. The forest inventories were carried out in 149 plots with surfaces evaluated at 2500 m2 each. The IVI, an index that highlights the relative density, relative dominance, and relative frequency of species, has been used to characterize the place occupied by each species in relation to all species in urban ecosystems. This shows ecological importance through the diversity and quality of ecosystems, communities, and species. A total of 62 tree species in 55 genera and 27 families were recorded. The results show that the flora of the city of Cotonou is characterized by a strong preponderance of exotic species with some differences in species presence. The most abundant species with high ecological importance (IVI) in the different types of land use of the city are Terminalia catappa (IVI = 121.47%), Terminalia mantaly (IVI = 90.50%), Mangifera indica (IVI = 64.06%), and Khaya senegalensis (IVI = 151.16%). As the use of ecosystem services is recommended to tackle urban climate hazards, this study shows that direct development of this urban vegetation could improve the resilience of urban life to climate hazards through the provision of urban ecosystem services, potential ecological infrastructure foundations, and urban nature-based solutions.
Funder
Regional Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa Association of African Universities World Bank Group
Subject
Atmospheric Science
Reference42 articles.
1. United Nations (2023, May 18). Revision of World Urbanization Prospects. Available online: https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/news/world-urbanization-prospects-2018. 2. Elmqvist, T., Fragkias, M., Goodness, J., Güneralp, B., Marcotullio, P.J., McDonald, R.I., Parnell, S., Schewenius, M., Sendstad, M., and Seto, K.C. (2013). Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment, Springer. 3. Selmi, W., and Weber, C. (2017). Évaluation des services écosystémiques urbains: De la rhétorique à la pratique. L’apport de l’approche par habitat. Environ. Urbain Urban Environ., 11, Available online: http://journals.openedition.org/eue/1799. 4. Institut National de la Statistique et de l’Analyse Economique (INSAE) (2015). Rgph4: Que Retenir Des Effectifs De Population En 2013?. Repub. Benin, 35, Available online: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp017p88cj91w. 5. Semeraro, T., Scarano, A., and Pandey, R. (2022). Ecosystem Services Analysis and Design through Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Planning at a Neighbourhood Scale. Urban Sci., 6.
|
|