Evaluation of the Impact of the Clearing Practice on Vegetation for Sustainable Cacao Culture in Cote dIvoire

Cocoa cultivation plays an important role in the economy of Cte dIvoire, which is the worlds first producer of cocoa. The impact of agricultural practice on associated vegetation has not yet been studied in detail while forest surfaces are decreasing and species disappearing. We evaluate the impact of the mostly applied and common practice called clearing practice which consists in directly eliminating all plants competing with cacao trees. This information is needed for developing a better agricultural practice for sustainable land use in the context of global change. Detecting variation in floristic parameters reveals that in young plantations there is a high potential of species regeneration, followed by a strong reduction in plantations of 6 to 40 years of age, which is essentially due to the clearing practice. In abandoned plantations, the reconstitution phase significantly depends on the impact of clearing practice which eliminates or promotes certain species. In the studied Oum region, forest reconstitution did not seem to be entirely compromised despite clearing practice. This could be different under unfavorable conditions and does not ensure reconstitution of vegetation. The clearing practice has to be adapted and applied to specific objectives for sustainable cacao culture.