par Betti, Jean
Référence Bulletin du Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, 71, 2, page (661-678)
Publication Publié, 2001
Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : The Dja biosphere reserve is located in Cameroon, in the East and the South provinces. It has not yet been subject to forest logging. But the high processing of timber extraction and the hunting of large mammals around the reserve result in fragmentation of the forest. In the south of the Dja reserve, local populations use mainly plant species in the treatment of malaria. Ethnobotanical surveys have been conducted for the traditional usage of medicinal plants against malaria in the Mintom subdivision (south). In all, 34 therapeutic recipes have been prescribed by Fang (eleven households), Nzaman (nine), and Baka pygmies (one) based in the Mintom region. These recipes used 23 plant species in the treatment of malaria. To compare plant species, an index of endangerment (Iv with values between 1 and 3) is defined for each of them, based on an arbitrary scale used for each of the following ten parameters: (1) the popularity of species in the Fang ethnic group, (2) its popularity in the Nzaman ethnic group, (3) the part of the plant used, (4) its developmental stage, (5) the mode of harvesting (6), the pharmaceutical forms used, (7) the habitat of the plant, (8) the type of scattering of seeds, (9) the morphological type, (10) the frequency (abundance) of plants in the field. Fourteen species have endangerment index above 2. Four out of them are said to be more endangered, with Iv > 2.5. According to decreasing Iv values, these species are ranged as follows: Picralima nitida > Alstonia boonei > Rauvolfia vomitoria > Zanthoxylum heitzii.