Inventory of useful forest species in the Bayenga Reserve of the Dongo Sector (South-Ubangi Province) in Democratic Republic of Congo

The aim of this study was to inventory the different useful and exploitable species found in the Bayenga Forest Reserve in the context of promoting sustainable forest management. The study found that the stand in the Bayenga Forest Reserve contains 39 useful species belonging to 36 genera and 18 families. The three most represented families are Leguminoseae (20.5%), Meliaceae (17.9%) and Malvaceae (10.3%). From an economic point of view, the floristic composition of the forest reserve is still rich in useful species and most of them have high economic value. 16 species (41.0%) belong to class I, 5 species (12.8%) are in class II, 9 species (23.1%) are in class III and 9 species (23.1%) are in class IV. 17 listed species are among the 30 industrial species commonly exploited in DRC. Out of 39 plant species identified, 41.0% are medicinal plants used for the management of common diseases in the study area, hence the need to resort to reduced impact logging in order to sustainably conserve these biological resources.

Keywords: Forest species, rational logging, sustainable development, Bayenga Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo