SAVING THE IVORIAN FORESTS

The goal of protecting Nature underpins all our work. It inspires and drives us to secure a future that allows life to flourish for people and wildlife.

In Côte d’Ivoire, forests and other wooded lands are under severe pressure from farming. The country has lost at least 80% of its original forest cover, and its few remaining areas of pristine forest are under threat, including in protected areas. The primary driver of forest loss in the moist tropical south has been cocoa production, although rubber, palm oil, and coffee have also been major drivers. These forests are home to critically endangered animals, such as pygmy hippos, colobus monkeys, and West African chimpanzees. In the drier northern regions, wooded savannah landscapes important for native wildlife such as antelope and rare birds have retreated under the march of expanding cashew cultivation.

Mighty Earth is collaborating with our local partners to change the way companies produce, buy, and sell crops like cocoa, rubber and cashew, to protect remaining habitats and restore degraded forests.