In a context of limited access to modern veterinary care, this study aims to document the ethnoveterinary practices used by pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in the province of Houet in western Burkina Faso for the treatment of animal diseases. A survey was conducted between July and October 2022 among 270 livestock farmers, using semi-structured questionnaires, individual interviews and focus groups. A total of 44 plant species belonging to 28 families were identified. The most frequently cited species were Faidherbia albida (58.1%), Khaya senegalensis (54.2%), Guiera senegalensis (43%), Parkia biglobosa (31.8%), followed by Vitellaria paradoxa and Sterculia setigera. The leaves and bark were the most commonly used parts of the species listed. The fruits (5%) and pulp (7%), which are rarely prepared, were mainly administered as food (100% and 50% respectively). The leaves are used in all kinds of recipes and administered in parallel through force-feeding, food, exposure and application. The most commonly treated pathologies were animal trypanosomiasis (19.04%), envenomation (14.28%) and parasitic infestations (12.85%). Multiple factor analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups of livestock farmers in terms of the species used and the therapeutic approaches adopted. These results confirm the importance of endogenous knowledge in local animal health and could help in the search for resilient solutions for the health treatment of domestic farm animals.

Changes in forest vegetation composition can lead to changes in carbon stocks. The aim of this study is to identify the relationships between diversity attributes, structural parameters and aboveground carbon stock within vegetation units in the Péni Classified Forest. In total, 3225 individuals belonging to 212 woody species were measured. Our results show a variability of carbon stock between vegetation units ranging from 2.56±2.31 t.ha-1 in shrub savannas to 131.80±75.45 t.ha-1 in gallery forests. Allometric models of structural parameters alone govern the variation of carbon stock between vegetation units. In gallery forests, Gmelina plantations and tree savannas, basal area explained 95%, 95% and 92% of the variation in carbon stock, respectively. In shrub savannas, the model combining mean diameter, basal area and mean height, explained 92% of the variation in carbon stock. The consideration of models combining diversity attributes and structure parameters is therefore necessary for a good estimation of the carbon stock of forest ecosystems.

The use of synthetic pesticides may present a danger to humans and the environment, to the point that the research of an alternative to these chemicals is necessary. The present study, aimed finding new natural molecules that may replace synthetic chemicals, looked at the effect of the ethanolic extract of B.grandiflora bark on eight seed-borne phytopathogenic fungi. The results of this study showed that C. lunata and C. dematium are the most sensitive to the ethanolic extract. This attests the presence of fungicidal or fungistatic substances in B. grandiflora bark. These results show that the ethanolic extract contains active molecules which, once fractionated, could constitute an alternative in the fight against phytopathogenic fungi. These preliminary results open up the possibility of using the bark of B. grandiflora for the production of a natural fungicide. Bioguided fractionation and phytotoxicity tests will identify the most active and non-toxic fractions which could be use in seed protection.