Vegetation studies of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) at three sites with varying levels of anthropogenic disturbances in the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, Cameroon

A study was carried out to evaluate the distribution, abundance and diversity of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve at the northern (Diffa), western (Bai Manya) and eastern (Mbalangi) parts of the reserve. NTFPs can be used as source of food, medicine, fuel wood and other socio-economic and cultural uses. Six belt-transects were use at each site to assess the distribution, abundance and diversity of NTFPs in this Forest Reserve. The southern part of the reserve was not evaluated as it was heavily encroached with cocoa plantations. A total of 50 species in 40 genera and 27 families were identified. 28 species were most commonly distributed in the three sites. These include Irvingia gabonensis, Trichoscypha abut and Cola lepidota, while Garcinia cola, Baillonella toxisperma and Tetracarpidium conophorum, Raphia species and Afromomum citratum were restricted to one or two sites. The northern part of the forest had the highest number of useful plants (3119), followed by the eastern part (837) and lastly by the western part (774). Between sites, Bai Manya and Diffa were most similar (Jaccard Index = 0.65; Sorenson Coefficient = 0.79). The western part had the highest species diversity (D = 0.92), followed by the northern part (D = 0.85) and lastly by the eastern part (D = 0.8).The results are significant for better management and conservation of this forest reserve. Key words: Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs), species diversity, similarity indices, abundance, frequency, anthropogenic.