Importance of Mangrove Litter Production in the Protection of Atlantic Coastal Forest of Cameroon and Ghana - The Land/Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone of West and Central Africa - page 129

Twigs

40

Cameroon Ghana

30

20

10

0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Month

Fig. 13 Total monthly litterfall component in Rhizophora in Cameroon and Ghana

resulted in denser trees of smaller size (BA = 76.07 m 2 /
ha). This is maybe due to less utilization of large mangrove
trees since the economic activity in this area was charcoal
making and firewood selling, which utilized the smaller size
of mangrove trees. The highest average canopy height was
in Cameroon (50.1 m), while the lowest was in Ghana
(7.3 m).
This can be attributed to less pressure to utilize the trees
due to the vast mangrove area and relatively small human
population compared with the mangrove area in Cameroon.
Although Avicennia stands in Ghana had the highest basal
area (98.11 m 2 /ha), it was noted that the average height was
only 7.3 m. This may be due to cutting branches of large
trees for charcoal making or drying of fish, rather than
cutting down the trees (Cintrón and Schaeffer-Novelli 1984 ;
Nfotabong

This can be attributed to less pressure to utilize the trees
due to the vast mangrove area and relative small human
population compared with the mangrove area in Cameroon.
Although Rhizophora stands in Ghana had the largest basal
area (44.21 m 2 /ha), it was noted that the average height was
only 14 m. This may be due to cutting branches of large
trees for charcoal making or drying of fish, rather than
cutting down the trees (Wattayakorn et al. 1990 ; Hegazy
1998 ; Nfotabong Atheull 2011 ; Worlanyo Aheto 2011 ).

Pure Avicennia Stand
Considering the structural characteristics of Avicennia
stands showed that the forest structure, presented mainly by
the mean values of density, basal area, volume and domi-
nant height in both countries, was, respectively, 50.1 m,
1,800 stems/ha, 76.07 m 2 /ha and 2,246.87 m 3 in Cameroon,
and 7.3 m, 6,075 stems/ha, 98.11 m 2 /ha and 412.82 m 3

Atheull 2008 , 2011 ; Spalding et al. 2010 ;

in Worlanyo Aheto 2011 ).

Ghana (Fig. 11 ).
From this study, it has been shown that Ghana has the
mean highest Avicennia density, with 6,075 stems/ha and
Cameroon has lower density (1,800 stems/ha) of smaller
size (Ba = 44.21 m 2 /ha). Before this zone has been desig-
nated as protected area, large mangrove trees were cut as
construction

Rhizophora and Avicennia in Balanced Mixed Stands
In mixed stands, the mean values of density, basal area,
volume and dominant height in the countries was, respec-
tively, 25.1 m, 6,100 stems/ha, 32.76 m 2 /ha and 466.22 m 3
in Cameroon and 4.7 m, 10,200 stems/ha, 6.62 m 2 /ha and
14.78 m 3 in Ghana (Fig. 14 ). It appeared (Figs. 11 , 12 , and

materials and firewood for bakeries that