Côte d’Ivoire is stepping up its efforts to restore its forest heritage. The government has officially launched a large-scale conservation and restoration campaign covering 14 classified forests, spanning nearly 145,000 hectares across the country.
The initiative includes the planting of approximately 12 million native trees as part of the national strategy to rebuild the country’s forest cover, which has been severely degraded over recent decades, according to the Ivorian Press Agency (AIP).
The program follows an initial phase that focused on technical studies, field preparation, and the restoration of more than 600 hectares of priority classified forests. Its long-term objective is to sustainably restore degraded forest landscapes, strengthen biodiversity, enhance ecosystem resilience, and contribute to the fight against climate change through carbon sequestration.
The Minister of Water and Forests, Assahoré Konan Jacques, emphasized that restoring forest cover is a national priority. The government aims to increase the country’s forest cover to 20% of its total land area by 2030.
The minister also called on private companies to strengthen their commitment to environmental protection and forest restoration. In addition, he urged local communities to adopt responsible practices to help preserve the country’s natural resources.
Highlighting the strategic importance of classified forests, Assahoré Konan Jacques stressed that these areas are part of the nation’s natural heritage and must not be occupied or converted for agricultural use.
Côte d’Ivoire is among the countries most affected by deforestation. Over the past six decades, it has lost more than 80% of its forest cover, shrinking from approximately 16 million hectares in 1960 to less than 3 million hectares today.