The alarming state of forest and wildlife in Côte d’Ivoire - synthesis of the results of the National Forest and Wildlife Inventory

Abstract

In early 2019, Côte d’Ivoire launched a national inventory of its forests and wildlife, accompanied by socio-economic surveys among farmers. The inventory was deployed throughout the country and provides a large amount of information. It shows that the state of the country’s forests and fauna is severely degraded and that industrial crops (cocoa, rubber and oil palm in the south, cashew and cotton in the centre and north) have become dominant. The total forest area in Côte d’Ivoire is estimated at 2.97 million hectares in 2020 (7.85 million ha in 1986) i.e. 9.2% of the total area of the country, including 2.88 million hectares of natural forest and just over 92,000 hectares of reforestation. The average annual deforestation rate since 1986 is 2.8%. The forest area in state forests, known as classified forests, is now only 13.3%, whereas the creation of classified forests in the 1970s was intended to preserve and manage forests sustainably. The scarcity, and even disappearance, of commercial species means that it is no longer possible for timber extraction operations to comply with sustainable management criteria. Protected areas (national parks and reserves) now contain only 32.2% of forest. The wildlife observation transects deployed throughout the country have shown that common species (such as the greater cane rat, bushbuck and hare) are still present, but that large mammals (antelopes, elephants, monkeys) only survive in a few protected areas and classified forests, with population sizes that are often critical. Finally, the socio-economic analysis shows that human population in Côte d’Ivoire’s classified forests are 50% allogenic, 28% indigenous and 22% foreigners: cocoa accounts for the largest share of crop trees, which are mainly introduced species. In rural areas, most crop trees (76%) are native species (mainly cashews), 13% are introduced species and 11% non-native. The state of forest ecosystems and their wildlife is alarming, but taking strong measures quickly could improve the situation, at least in the best-preserved sectors. The continuation of regular inventory campaigns will be essential to assess the impacts of these measures.