Deforestation and poaching: two major challenges
Deforestation is one of the main environmental challenges in Côte d'Ivoire. Forests - especially primary forests - are both carbon sinks and reservoirs of biodiversity. They are threatened by fragmentation, encroachment by agricultural land (with the use of slash-and-burn techniques), industrial exploitation, fuelwood and illegal logging (trafficking of precious woods), as well as overgrazing. Its disappearance threatens all natural balances, the climate and biodiversity. Poaching, which has been on the rise during armed conflicts, constitutes a risk of destruction of both animal and plant species. Indeed, "key species" - including some herbivorous monkeys - spread seeds. Faced with these challenges, efforts have been made on several scales, but remain insufficient to date. On the other hand, the latest socio-political crisis has slowed down the actions previously undertaken in terms of sustainable management. The country's deforestation rate is one of the fastest in the world. From 16 million hectares in the 1960s, forests represented only 2.5 million hectares in 2018. There is an urgent need to reverse the trend through a strong policy of forest protection and restoration. Without this, the ecosystem benefits for humans would be lost.
A country subject to multiple pollution
Cities, especially the capital, are exposed to multiple environmental problems, which are increased by the growth of their population. In Abidjan, for example, waste management is a major issue. The city does not have a collection system in all the districts and a lot of waste is thus thrown into nature and carried by the rain to the Ebrié lagoon. The waste collected by the city is taken to the Akouédo landfill, a facility without any environmental protection measures. As a result, the liquid waste also ends up in the lagoon. Mining is also seen as a source of pollution (use of chemicals and mercury) and deforestation.
Promising initiatives
Multi-partner projects are deployed in the country, including with the support of international institutions. Thus, micro-financing programmes make it possible to work on sustainable resource management directly with local communities. Successful mangrove rehabilitation projects, for example, have been carried out. In the Comoé National Park, a project between stockbreeders and farmers has not only calmed conflicts, but has also made it possible to protect the natural environment through the establishment of transhumance corridors and concerted management of water points. In 2013, the country initiated a programme to manage obsolete pesticides and is now considering alternatives to chemical pesticides. On the energy side, Côte d'Ivoire has embarked on the path of renewable energies with, in particular, a project for a floating solar power plant.
