After recently announcing the reforestation of 100,000 hectares of land per year in several localities, the authorities of Ivory Coast are releasing nearly €3 million for the sustainable management of 12 classified forests in the northern region of Tchologo, which is suffering from massive deforestation.
Ivory Coast is determined to achieve the 15th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG15) of the United Nations focused on the protection of terrestrial biodiversity. Thus, the government of this West African country is allocating 2 billion CFA francs (about 3 million euros) to the sustainable management of classified forests in the Tchologo region located 446 kilometers from the capital Yamoussoukro.
The funding will enable the implementation of management plans and the strengthening of monitoring activities in at least 12 natural sites, including the Laléraba classified forest on the Burkina Faso border and the Nougbo classified forest, where tensions remain between its occupants and the Société de développement des forêts (SODEFOR) of Ivory Coast.
There is also the Koba forest reserve where climate change coupled with bush fires are threatening the survival of animal and plant species. “This program provides for the construction of a fence surrounding the classified forests and the multiplication of patrols to effectively fight against aggression related to human activities and to preserve the ecological vocation of these areas in the long term,” say the Ivorian authorities.
Read also-Ivory Coast: The project Abidjan, green city of Africa, pollution-free city launched
This initiative is in line with the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (GMES) program of the European Union (EU) focused on the implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) on the continent. The operation, which aims to curb deforestation, consists of the optimal use of information collected by satellites to coordinate land use planning and improve natural resource management.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
