More Accurate Climate Models for Better Prediction—The Case of the Precis Model in Burkina Faso,Ghana and Mali

West Africa is a region where not only the climate has seen some of the most dramatic changes but also climate models carry the greatest level of uncertainty. Designing an accurate climate model can be tricky.In many cases,while the models may be relatively accurate at the global level,they show important discrepancies compared to reality when applied at a smaller scale.Selecting the correct climate

Distributional Data of the Lizard Fauna （Sauria） of the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Landscape, Democratic Republic of the Congo

This paper presents the composition of the lizard fauna of Maringa-Lopori-Wamba landscape in the western portion of the central Congo basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its weak similarity with the lizard fauna of Gaboon and Ituri faunal areas. It also fills a gap of knowledge in a region where no previous research on Sauria has been undertaken and signals the presence ofLeptosiaphos hylophilus and Lygodactylus n. sp. The paper mentions the finding of a subspecies of Gastropholis echinata. These data are important since collected for the first time in a spot where no herpetological research on lizards has previously been undertaken.

Plant Diversity and Carbon Stock Assessment in an Informal Settlement of the City of Yaounde, Cameroon: The Case of Elig-Effa West

Due to rapid demographic growth, economic and technological changes, urban environments are highly exposed to the impacts of climate change and environmental catastrophes. Despite the pressure to which urban forests are exposed, they still play important roles through the service they provide: air quality, shade, and reduction of dioxide of carbon. The present study was carried out in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon, especially in one of its suburb areas, Elig-Effa West, a neighborhood with spontaneous settlements. The study aimed at assessing the plant species diversity, and carbon sequestration potentials of diverse trees recorded using indirect methods. Six sampling plots of 100 × 100 m were established in the study area. Our results recorded a total of 16 species grouped into 12 families. Apocynaceae, Mimosaceae and Moraceae were the most represented families. The most represented species throughout the sampling plots were Mangifera indica, Persea americana, Annona muricata and Psidium gaujava, which are all fruiting trees. Carbon stock for the study area was estimated at 16.08 ± 5.60 tC with an average of 0.23 ± 0.08 tC/ha. The results also showed the species to be considered in a potential restoration program should be first fruiting trees, followed by non-fruiting trees useful to population, especially those that have their trunk peeled, a sign that they are used by the population. Nevertheless, informal settlements contribute to carbon sequestration, that well targeted urban reforestation will substantially improve.

Recovery of Unsold Food from Three Agri-Food Industries (SOCOCE, COQUIVOIRE and SCB) for the Feeding of the Abidjan Zoo Animals

The waste of foodstuffs is increasing in the agri-food industries. This is reflected in the increasing volume of their waste. Food is thrown away on criteria that have nosthing to do with its nutritional quality. In most cases, the criteria are shape, color and stains. In order to reduce this waste, a way of valorization was investigated. This paper focuses on waste reduction through feeding the Abidjan zoo animals with the unsold products of three agro-industries. The unsold products collected by the zoo were characterized over an 8-year period (2011 to 2019). Deaths and births were recorded. The food needs met by the unsold products harvested were evaluated and the economic gains estimated. The results showed that the food recovered by the Abidjan Zoo at SOCOCE contained 34.94% fruit, 38.58% vegetable and 23.47% meat products. At SCB and Coquivoire the donations are estimated at 2 tons of bananas and 1.5 tons of chickens (smoked and cold chicken) respectively. These donations allowed the Zoo to save 25.94% of its budget allocated to animal feed. The diversity of the food collected has a positive impact on the quality of life of the animals at the Zoo. This is reflected in an increase in the number of births from 0 to 12 per year and a decrease in mortality of 90%.

Exogenous Peroxidase Mitigates Cadmium Toxicity, Enhances Rhizobial Population and Lowers Root Knot Formation in Rice Seedlings

Soil cadmium (Cd) causes toxicity and oxidative stress, alters biochemical processes and rootknot formation in rice. Irrigation of exogenous peroxidase (POX) together with its co-substrate H2O2(POXRice + H2O2), is likely to have protective effect upon the biochemical and nodular changes in ricegrown in Cd-rich soil. Exposure to Cd concentration of 1.00 mg/L increased oxidative stress, loss of cellviability, electrolyte leakage and root knot formation, whereas it significantly lowered the chlorophyll leveland rhizobium growth in rice. Irrigation of exogenous POXRice + H2O2 to Cd-stressed rice seedlingsreversed the Cd-induced alterations in rice to levels similar in control (non-stressed) seedlings. Resultsprovided strong evidence of exogenous POXRice + H2O2-mediated reversal and restoration of physiologicaland biochemical processes as well as increased resistance of rice seedlings to root knot formation.Irrigation with POXRice + H2O2 appeared to contribute towards bringing normoxic conditions in the otherwisehypoxic soil environment by enhancing the O2 in pot-experiments due to reduced Cd uptake, enhancedmineral homeostasis of essential elements viz. P, Fe, Mo, Mg and Mn for maintenance of root architecturedamaged by lipid peroxidation and reduction in oxidative stress by reducing Cd-induced reactive oxygenspecies generation. Therefore, the mitigation of Cd-toxicity in rice through this novel approach appeared tobe a promising mode to limit Cd-uptake, modulate protective and tolerance mechanisms for sustainablerice yield in Cd-contaminated rice-croplands and prevent nematode attack in rice, however, more detailedstudies are needed prior to large scale applications.