|
|
|
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
Countries Appendix COTE D' IVOIRE (IVORY COAST) (17.2%) Ivory Coast has some of the most diversity of any West African country with over 1000 animals species, 232 mammal species, and 4700 plant species). Much of the wildlife inhabits the interior region and not the coastal areas as is the case with many West African countries. However this biologically rich country has been deforested over 80% of its original cover. Agriculture, uncontrolled fires, and logging for tropical woods (once Ivory Coast's largest export by volume) are the primary causes of forest loss. The economic miracle of the 1980s had collapsed by the 1990s due to resource depletion and declining agricultural productivity. The government has designated over 6% of the land cover to protect some of the most diverse ecosystems, but reserves lack funding and rangers are not well-trained. Poaching and forest exploitation within these reserves is commonplace, and humans are encroaching on these parks. The government has taken several steps in an effort to save what remains of the once vast forests of the country. In 1995 the country announced a ban on the export of most logs while in late August 1996, the government announced a ban on all timbering on the fringe of its savannah zone and a crackdown on illegal logging. However, heavy immigration of Burkinans have placed a heavy burden on the remaining forests. In 1998-1999, the government began a crackdown on colonists illegally living in protected areas. . . . . . For current information I highly recommend trying the CIA and FAO links below. |
|
|
