Fighting deforestation: A decline in the annual rate in Ivory Coast.

In recent years, deforestation in Ivory Coast has become less frequent than in previous years. According to the Ministry of Water and Forests, the rate of forest area destruction has dropped to 26,000 hectares per year between 2019 and 2021.

In a communiqué dated 16 February 2022, the Ministry of Water and Forests congratulated the decline in the rate of deforestation in Ivory Coast. This time the level is 10 times lower than in previous years. There has been a decrease of about 26,000 ha in the last three years compared to 300,000 ha between 1990 and 2015.

According to the Ivorian authorities, this decrease in the level of deforestation is due to the implementation of the Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI). Indeed launched in November 2017 under the leadership of the Prince of Wales, this initiative was adopted by the Ivorian government in 2018. It aims to stop cocoa-related deforestation in Ivory Coast and Ghana. This is done through the protection and restoration of forests and the sustainability of cocoa production.

According to a report published on 11 February 2022, the American NGO Mighty Earth is encouraging a sharp decline in deforestation in Ivory Coast. “This decrease in deforestation is a positive signal that the government is doing its utmost to completely reverse the trend in the coming years. This decline is reinforced by the strong growth in numbers.

Cocoa production, a threat to the forest in Ivory Coast.

According to this Mighty Earth report, Ivory Coast has lost 19,421 ha of forest within its cocoa-producing regions. It is therefore noted that this loss is due to cocoa production.

This loss of forest cover is mainly due to human activities, including agriculture, spearheaded by cocoa. Faced with this state of affairs, the government aims, through the new forestry policy, to intensify the protection of the remaining forests as well as reforestation, so as to reach 20% forest cover by 2030.

It should be noted that Ivory Coast is the largest cocoa producer with an annual production of 1,200,000 tonnes, i.e. 41% of world supply. Its level of production will produce 40% of export earnings and contribute 10% of the International Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Cocoa farming is therefore an important sector for the economic development of Ivory Coast.