European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

NATURAL AVAILABILITY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS UNSUSTAINABLE HARVESTED IN THE KOM-MENGAME FOREST CONSERVATION COMPLEX, SOUTH CAMEROON

Tsabang Nolé*, Tsambang Joel Elisée Tsafack, Fongnzossié Evariste, Nguelefack-Mbuyo Pami Elvine, Nguelefack Telesphore Benoit and Auzel Philippe

ABSTRACT

The natural availability of medicinal plants depends on their habitats, the type of forests, their degree of exploitation and their medicinal value for riparian population and local markets. Animals like elephants destroyed forests and transformed them in grassy areas, sometimes with scattered trees, in tropical or subtropical forests. These activities rarify trees in such forests. The objective of this study was to identify and document the ecological importance of medicinal plants more exploited in Kom-Mengame forest conservation complex. To achieve this objective we have selected and identified trees with stem bark awfully harvested, during the botanical inventory of this reserve in 2003. The important value index of recorded medicinal plants was extracted from the general list of the importance value index of all inventoried plants to evaluate their ecological importance. A total of 41 plants awfully harvested were recorded. The quantitative ecological study of these plants revealed that Petersianthus macrocarpus with the highest important value index (7,142) was the most important tree, following by Pycnanthus angolensis (6,791), Desbordesia glauscescens (5,655), Distemonanthus benthamianus (5,077) and Myrianthus arboreus (4,371). Pteleopsis hylodendron (3,967), Tetrapleura tetraptera (2,017) and Celtis mildbraedii (1,994) were Medium-sized important trees. Symphonia globulifera (0,933) was among the less important trees and finally the very less important species was represented by Harunga madagascariensis (0,095) and Ficus conraui (0,030). The present set of ecological information is important with regards of the sustainable management of forest resources and particularly medicinal plants.

Keywords: Unsustainable exploitation of trees, medicinal plants, important value index, quantitative ecological study of recorded plants, Kom-Megame forest conservation complex, Cameroon.