The Waza National Park and its peripheries are part of an
ecological unit of the Waza Logone flood plain, located in the
far North region of Cameroon. The knowledge of biodiversity,
especially plant biodiversity is the basis of the management
necessary for the restoration of this environment. This study
aims to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate plant
resources in the periphery of the park. The study focuses on a
comparative analysis of the eastern part of the Park
(dominated by hydromorphic soils rich in clay, river-lake sand
and flooded river during part of the year) and the Western part
(characterized by the dominance of Planosols and leached
soils, made of a mixture of sand and clay river-lake sand). The
experimental research carried out consists of transects with
variable sizes, horizontal, parallel and equidistant. Data
collection was made on 23 transects, with a sampling rate of
0.8 %. On each transect, dendrometric data of all plant species
were collected at breast height (1.30 m) or 10 cm from the
ground (for species that were less than one meter in height.
The qualitative floristic analysis used the APG classification
system (Angiosperms Phylogeny Group) III. The floristic
survey identified a total of 52 woody species, distributed in 42
genera and 21 families belonging to the Waza National Park
periphery. The diversity index (Shannon) is high in the west of
the Park. This shows that physical disturbances, although
visible in the zone, did not have a strong influence on the
diversity of plant species, and that, there is the presence of
relatively old, mature and structured stands. On the contrary,
this diversity index is low in the eastern part of the park; this
indicates a strong physical disturbance of the area, resulting in
the dominance of few species. The vertical structure shows
that the future stems and the regeneration stems are less
represented, with a very big difference as compared to other
stems, an indication that the entire ecosystem is in a state of
degradation. Several factors are behind the differences
between the eastern and the western part of the Park.