Forest management and the distribution of understorey birds in the Bossematie Forest, eastern Ivory Coast

Abstract

The Bossematie Forest, Eastern Ivory Coast, has repeatedly been logged but is now subject to rehabilitation carried out by the Ivorian SODEFOR (Societe de developpement des forets) in co-operation with the German GTZ (Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit). To estimate the conservation prospects of forest birds, the influence of selective cleaning, an applied forestry practice, on vegetation structure and on the understorey bird community was studied. Vertical vegetation coverage was described and mistnetting was carried out in ONO adjacent management zones, a 3-years-old treated plot and an untreated control plot. The understorey vegetation in the treated plot has been damaged by fallen midstorey trees. The treatment plot differed from the control plot mainly in forming a low, single-layered canopy, which is typical for early successional stages. The analysis of 810 captures shows clear differences in the bird communities: the number of individuals of so-called open-land species was significantly higher in the treated plot, whereas that of forest-interior species significantly decreased. The results are used for the adaptation of species lists for an existing monitoring program. This will show, whether the establishment of strict reserves and the spatial and temporal distribution of management activities can maintain populations of forest interior species in the Bossematie forest in the long run.