. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. I Primary forest I I Under-planted forest 10 km Figure Forest boundaries on Grande Comore in 1983 (.Source: Thorpe eul., 1988) (Figure ), but tliis forest is thought to be entirely secondary (Gachet, 1957). On Anjouan, small patches of primary forest remain on the steepest slopes of the central peaks (Figure ). Benson (1960) reports that Mayotte was completely deforested in the 19th century. Now some secondary forest is to be seen on the highest points of the island. Figure Forest boundaries on Moheli in 1983 (Source: Thor
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. I Primary forest I I Under-planted forest 10 km Figure Forest boundaries on Grande Comore in 1983 (.Source: Thorpe eul., 1988) (Figure ), but tliis forest is thought to be entirely secondary (Gachet, 1957). On Anjouan, small patches of primary forest remain on the steepest slopes of the central peaks (Figure ). Benson (1960) reports that Mayotte was completely deforested in the 19th century. Now some secondary forest is to be seen on the highest points of the island. Figure Forest boundaries on Moheli in 1983 (Source: Thorpe er al., 1988) H Primary forest I I Under-planted forest. The dense humid forest on the Comoros reaches a height of around 20-30 m. Dominant species are Ocoiea comorensis, Khaya comorensis, which sometimes form up to 80 per cent of the canopy in the Karthala forest, Olea sp., Chrysophyllum bowmianum, Pninus africana and Filicium decipiens (White, 1983). Epiphytes are com- mon and tree ferns, such as Cyalhea similis, are also present (Thorpe el al., 1988). Recent lava flows are colonised by Nuxia pseudodentata, Breoma sp., Weinmannia sp.,Apodyles dimidiata and O/rasp. (White, 1983). Only small and isolated patches of mangrove are found on the Comoros. They are most common on the island of Mayotte. The mangroves are generally floristically poor; plant speJes present include Rhizophora mucronata, Bniguiera gymnorrhiza, Avicennia marina and Sonneratia alba. Forest Resources and Management There is an urgent need for new aerial surveys of the islands to obtain accurate measures of the remaining forest extent. In 1949, forest cover was estimated at 314 sq. km (Deville, 1974) but by 1981, this was thought to have diminished to 18 5 sq. km (Louette ei al, 1988). FAO (1988) reported only 160 sq. km remaining in 1980. Half of the forest is government owned but, on Anjouan, forest land can be claimed by villagers if they plant it with bananas or other crops. There is a system of individ
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