RECENT HISTORY OF A FOREST FORMATION IN SOUTH-WEST CAMEROON FROM POLLEN ANALYSIS

With his floristic records in south-west Cameroon, the botanist Letouzey found anomalies in the regeneration of a distinctive formation in the sempervirent vain forest region : the Atlantic Coastal Rain Forest, characterized by Lophira alata and Saccoglottis gabonensis. In the present day climatic and environmental conditions, the regeneration of Lophira alata is nearly stopped. Letouzey supposed that its regeneration could be favoured by clearings made by local human populations 2 centuries ago which is the age of most Lophira alata. To test this hypothesis, we have pollen analysed a core taken in a lake within the Atlantic Coastal Rain Forest. The bottom of the care was dated about ca. 1300 years AD. Our data do not support Letouzey hypothesis, but we estimate that these phenomenons could be due to some abrupt climatic crises.