Floristic diversity and conservation status of the woody Stand of the Béki Classified Forest, Eastern Côte D'ivoire

Despite its ecological importance and protected status, the Béki Classified Forest in eastern Côte d'Ivoire has experienced substantial historical degradation associated with agricultural occupation and other anthropogenic pressures.Since 1998, forest managers have implemented an agroforestry policy combining forestspecies reforestation with pre-existing cocoa cultivation.This mosaic of relatively natural forest, fallow, agroforestry, and reforestation areas provides an opportunity to assess the current floristic composition and conservation value of the forest.The present study aimed to characterize the floristic composition, species diversity, and conservation status of the woody vegetation of the Béki Classified Forest.A stratified sampling design comprising 20 plots of 2,000 m² distributed among forest (n = 7), fallow (n = 5), agroforest (n = 5), and reforestation areas (n = 3) was complemented by itinerant botanical surveys.A total of 137 woody species belonging to 104 genera and 41 families were recorded.Fabaceae (18%) and Malvaceae (12%) were the most represented families.Guineo-Congolese species predominated (78%), while mesophanerophytes were the dominant biological type (41%).Species richness was Floristic diversity …