Abstract:
Savanna ecosystems in tropical West Africa undergo severe land use pressure, resulting in
ecosystem degradation and biogenic carbon emissions. In such context, highlighting the
key ecological attributes of land degradation and the underlying processes are essential
within the national adaptation and mitigation plans. This study analyzed the impacts of
land use on plant biodiversity, stand structure and carbon storage. Inventories of ligneous
species were conducted on 240 plots laid out along four levels of land disturbance in
Burkina Faso. Dendrometric data collected from 6035 shrubs and trees were converted to
aboveground biomass and carbon density. The results revealed a gediversity of 107 woody
species belonging to 73 genera and 35 families. Significant effect of land use was found on
species diversity, stand structure and carbon density (p < 0.001). Agricultural lands had the
lowest diversity, density and carbon stocks, whereas protected areas held the highest
values. Carbon density ranged from 10.362 ± 1.209 Mg C.ha 1 in fallows to
42.663 ± 1.982 Mg C.ha 1 in protected areas. Principal Component Analysis showed tight
links between carbon storage, species diversity and stand structure. The multiple linear
regression revealed that tree density explained 21.25% of the variation in the plot-level
total carbon stocks (a ¼ 19.301; p < 3.38e-14). Similarly, tree diameter and height
together accounted for 45.43% of the variation in mean carbon stocks (a ¼ 19.301; p < 2.2
e 16). This study demonstrated that the higher the land use pressure, the lower the
species diversity and carbon storage in woody vegetation. The findings highlight the
importance of accounting for improved or smart agricultural practices within the intended
nationally determined contributions’ framework.
