Characterization of the Herbaceous Vegetation of the National Park of Manda in Chad

Abstract

Within the framework of the rehabilitation of the National park of Manda located at the South of Chad, a study was conducted in order to improve and to reactualize information on the natural resources in general, precondition to the development of management plans. One of the causes of failure in the attempts at rehabilitation of this park was the ignorance of its ecosystems. This work was therefore, primarily focused on the knowledge of diversity and on the structure of the herbaceous vegetation of the park. The study was carried out following phytosociological relevés according to the traditional Braun-blanquetiste method and the park was divided into four zones of study. It was inventoried 369 species gathered in 195 genera and 58 families starting from 128 relevés. The most species belonged to families of Poaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Cyperaceae and Asteraceae. The factorial analysis of correspondence allowed recognizing 9 herbaceous groups where the majority was also known in several tropical Africa areas. The biomass noted starting from the rate of average covering (approximately 90% in rainy season) proved that the pastures of the park could still support an important wildlife.