The present study was initiated to contribute to the sustainable management of the Niégré classified forest. It analyzed the floristic diversity, vegetation structure and conservation value of this forest. The methodology used consisted in randomly installing 100 m x 20 m (2,000 m2) plots in each biotope (old-growth forest, 1-10 year-old fallow, 11-19 year-old fallow, 20-30 year-old fallow and 30+ year-old fallow). In each plot, chest height diameter (CHD) and height measurements were taken for all woody species 2.5 cm and over. A total of 419 species in 286 genera and 92 families were recorded. The most important families are Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae. The flora of this forest is also characterized by the presence of special-status species (55), two of which are endemic to Côte d’Ivoire. This work also shows that stand composition and structure parameters increase with the age of the fallow. Efforts to conserve the endemic, rare and endangered species of the Niégré classified forest must be a top priority.

The present study aims to improve knowledge of the resilience of post-cultivation vegetation in the Ivorian sub-Sudanese sector by discriminating the stages of post-cultivation reconstitution and characterising these stages using the structural attributes and functional traits of the species. To this end, 4 groups corresponding to the different stages of reconstitution were identified. These stages are divided into three groups according to their characteristics. Stage_1 is characterised by SudanoZambézian (SZ) and introduced (i) species, generally hemicryptophyte-pyrophytic and chamaephytes that spread by anemochory and barochory. Stage_2 is characterised by Guinean-Congolian and Sudano-Zambézian transition species and Sudano-Zambézian species. They are therophytes and nanophanerophytes, anemochores with small leaves (nanophyll, leptophyll and microphyll). Stages 3 and 4 share the same characteristics. They are characterised by GC species, which are generally large (mesophanerophytes and megaphanerophytes) as well as geophytes, which have large leaves (megaphyll) and spread by zoochory (epizoochory and endozoochory). In short, post-cultivation reconstitution takes place in four stages. These stages are divided into four groups according to their characteristics. Depending on the maturity gradient, these stages are marked by a transition from savannah species, herbaceous species with small leaves and anemochorous spread, to forest species, large species with large leaves and zoochorous spread.