Etude phytogéographique des massifs forestiers de Kéfrida, un secteur meconnu de la zone importante pour les plantes des Babors (Nord-Est algérien)

National audiencePhytogeographical study of the forest massifs of Kéfrida, a neglected sector of the Babors important PLANT area (Northeastern Algeria).― In order to provide a better knowledge of the flora of Little Kabylia (Bejaïa, Algeria), with an objective of conservation of natural heritage, a phytogeographical study was conducted on forest vegetation in two understudied mountains in the area of Kéfrida, adjoining the IPA (important plants area) of the Babors. The floristic surveys were conducted in a Zeen and an Afares oak (Quercus canariensis Willd. and Q. afares Pomel respectively) forests as well as mountain grasslands. The sampling allowed us to inventory 332 species of vascular plants. Besides the 205 (62 %) Mediterranean species it houses, the site is remarkable by the presence of 37 (11 %) Algerian endemics or sub-endemics and, above all, 79 (23 %) species from the non-Mediterranean Holarctic subset. Analysis of the global biological spectrum showed the significant dominance of hemicryptophytes (48 %) over the other life-forms (7.2-22.5 %). This area is an exceptional current refuge for non-Mediterranean and/or endemic flora, in a context of global warming. We note the presence of fourteen trigger species, including eight in common with the Babors and the Akfadou IPAs and four in common with the Djurdjura and the Medjerda ones. Besides, the investigated area has a significant number of plants important for Algeria. This presence of trigger species and/or plants important for the country allows to classifying the sector of Kéfrida as an extension of the Babors IP