While national forest cover is estimated at only 9.2% in Ivory Coast, the Ivorian Ministry of Water and Forests has just completed the reforestation of five hectares of land in the Lôh-Djiboua botanical reserve. The site is located 7 km from the town of Divo, where cocoa cultivation endangers local biodiversity.
The operation was carried out in partnership with BGFI Bank Ivory Coast as part of its eco-responsible approach. According to its general manager, the aim is also to raise awareness among young people “of the values of ecology, in order to preserve the forest”, says Malick N’Diaye.
“This operation is part of the government’s policy to reconstitute the Ivorian forest cover, which has been severely degraded due to several factors, most of which are human activities. To correct this, the aim is to move from less than three million hectares today to six million hectares by 2030. The government’s strategy for restoring forest cover is intended to be inclusive because, with the participation of all in a synergy of action, this gamble can be won,” says Elvire Zouzou Mailly, the chief of staff of the Ivorian Minister of Water and Forests.
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According to her, another reforestation operation is planned in Divo on 23 September 2022. This will be in the presence of Minister Laurent Tchagba and the traditional authorities of this town of 387,000 inhabitants. This initiative joins several others, such as that of the Coalition of Young Ivorian Leaders, which recently planted 15 hectares of trees in the town of Doropo, located 642 km from Abidjan. In the end, the operation carried out for the sixth consecutive year will contribute to the mitigation of climate change in Ivory Coast.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi