A forest in a city Biodiversity at Sunut forest, Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

Al-Sunut is a natural forest located in the centre of Khartoum state, the capital of Sudan. Due to its unique location, Sunut forest is severely stressed by human activities, especially construction. In this paper, we provide a survey for the biodiversity at Sunut Forest. Three animal groups were investigated for density and species diversity: Birds, Acacia nilotica associated arthropods and ground arthropods. The aim of the study was to provide the field data required for the design of adequate management and conservation plans and to draw the popular attention to the special value of Sunut forest. The study concluded that Sunut forest hosts considerable biological diversity, particularly of birds, as 87 species were recorded. Arthropod specimens that belong to 10 different orders were collected from A. nilotica trees. Likewise, specimens of ground arthropods collected from the forest represent 11 different orders