The forest, our pillar

Over 90% of the Ivorian forest has disappeared...

In 1960, Côte d'Ivoire had one of the richest biodiversities in Africa, ranging from tropical rainforests to vast savannahs and endemic animal species. Almost sixty years later, 90% of its forests have disappeared.

The destruction of the forest threatens not only the region's unique biodiversity, but also the livelihoods of millions of people. The main causes of this disappearance are deforestation for the cocoa and palm oil industries, followed by illegal logging and urbanisation.

This habitat degradation is threatening the survival of many plant and animal species! Protecting the natural habitat is therefore the key to the conservation of this exceptional biodiversity. Chimpanzees, pangolins, lesser white-nosed monkey.... as many species classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15935/0.

Preserving forests also means fighting against climate change and its impact on human societies natural disasters, disruption of the water cycle, food insecurity, conflicts, etc.

But we're fighting to keep the rest!

In an historic agreement, the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Water and Forests has granted two classified forests to AKATIA.

The Yapo-Abbé forest (4,500 ha), home to our monkey sanctuary, and Comoé forest 1 (1,200 ha) with the chimpanzee sanctuary.

To carry out our mission, we work closely with the BSSI, Brigade Spéciale de Surveillance et d'Intervention (Special Surveillance and Intervention Brigade). A dedicated team, the Wildlife Department, has been set up to provide practical protection for these forests. Here with us in the field, these ecoguards protect our camps and carry out daily patrols to stop poachers, hunters and clearers (people clearing forest species for wild plantations or taking timber illegally).

This brigade was trained by the NGO C.R.O.W, an American organisation specialising in training rangers to combat poaching and promote conservation throughout the world, particularly in high-risk areas. These eco-guards are the guardians of the forest.

Monitoring as an additional protection tool

The Yappo-Abbé forest is a treasure trove of biodiversity. Particularly prone to poaching, we havea research technician on site to monitor groups of wild chimpanzees and small monkeys (identification of territory, number of individuals, behaviour, etc.). He positions trap cameras to confirm the presence of animals and take stock of them.He also identifies potential areas of conflict between humans and primates.

As part of our drive to raise awareness, he trains former hunters who have repented to do this work in order‘to alert local communities to the importance of protecting wildlife.