Management of Biodiversity Under Eucalyptus Agroecosystems in Central Africa: An Case Study in the Sudano-Sahelian Zone and the High Guinean Savannah Zone of Cameroon

The aim of this study was to assess the diversity and structure of the understory vegetation in eucalyptus agro-ecosystems based on age. In zone I, there were 5671 individuals across 13 families, 19 genera, and 21 species, whereas in zone II, there were 21323 individuals from 24 families, 45 genera, and 65 species. Eucalyptus agro-ecosystems in zone II exhibited higher understory species richness compared to zone I. The most abundant family in zone I was Caesalpiniaceae, followed by Anacardiaceae and Verbenaceae. In zone II, the most represented family was Clusiaceae, Hymenocardiaceae and Myrtaceae. The average density was highest in 10–20-year-old plantations in the Ngaoundere I/II district (433 ± 84.7 indiv/ha). Basal area increased with age, ranging from 1.35 ± 0.32 m²/ha to 17.59 ± 3.71 m²/ha. In zone I, an exponentially decreasing, steep-sloped, and inverted (J-shaped) structure that better fit a fifth-degree polynomial function was observed in all plots. This information constitutes in order to elaborate management plans in view of a lasting management.