This study investigates the diversity of woody plant species and the carbon stocks stored in live hedges within highly degraded agricultural landscapes of the Western Highlands of Cameroon. Live hedges — rows of woody plants used as natural boundaries between fields — are increasingly recognized as key components of agroforestry systems capable of supporting biodiversity while contributing to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.
Using systematic botanical inventories and allometric equations, the research documents the richness of species present in these hedge systems and estimates their above-ground biomass and carbon content. The findings reveal that even in severely degraded environments, live hedges harbor significant plant diversity and store non-negligible amounts of carbon, highlighting their dual ecological and climatic value in highland agricultural landscapes.
This research contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting the integration of agroforestry practices into national restoration and climate strategies. For Biodiversity Conservation for Life (BCL), such findings reinforce the importance of promoting landscape-level approaches to conservation that reconcile agricultural productivity with ecosystem restoration in Central Africa.
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