Citizens and urban greening: Do Bobo Dioulasso dwellers participate in greenhouse gas mitigation through urban forestry and greening?

Urban trees and forests play a vital role in maintaining the balance of urban ecosystems and mitigating global warming. However, due to the lack of data and information on the potential of urban forests, their importance remains largely unknown. This study aims to describe citizens' perceptions of trees and assess the forest community's density, diversity, and carbon stock in the residential area of Bobo-Dioulasso, the second-largest city in Burkina Faso. To carry out the study, tree inventories, and interviews were conducted on 240 selected dwellinghouses using a two-stage stratified sampling approach. The sample was allocated proportionally to three strata based on their population size: the center town (20 %), pericenter (20 %), and periphery (60 %). Trees were found in 86 % ± 0.5 % of dwellings, with an average of four trees per dwellinghouse (4 ± 1). About 63 % of households reported planting trees in their homes, including along roadsides. The main motivations for planting trees were for fruits, shading, and ornamental purposes. However, factors such as discomfort, property ownership, and management costs discouraged some residents from planting more trees. A total of 934 trees belonging to 69 species and 30 botanic families were counted in the study sample. The most abundant species families were Anacardiaceae, Moraceae, and Moringaceae. Mangifera indica (41 %), Ficus polita (12 %), and Moringa oleifera (8 %) had the highest relative densities of all species found in dwellings. Using existing allometric equations, the study estimated that the residential area trees stored about 210,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Based on these findings, it is recommended that city governments implement an action plan to promote urban forestry to strengthen and protect urban forest cover.