Taï Biosphere Reserve, Côte d'Ivoire

The Taï Biosphere Reserve is located at the border to Liberia in the south-west of Côte d'Ivoire, about 200 km south of Man and 100 km from the coast. It represents one of the last remnants of the primary tropical forest of Western Africa.

    

Ecological Characteristics

Within the Biosphere Reserve, there is a gradation from north to south, with the southern third being the moistest and richest area, especially of leguminous trees. This humid tropical forest has a high level of endemism. Its high floral diversity and the occurrence of several threatened monkey species are of great scientific interest.

Dense evergreen forest with species such as the palm Eremospatha macrocarpa, ebony (Diospyros mannii), Parinari chrysophylla, Chrysophyllum perpulchrum and Chidlowia sanguinea on poorer soils; dense evergreen ("Sassandrian") forest dominated by water-demanding species such as ebony (Diospyros spp.) and Mapania spp.; swamp forest with Gilbertiodendron splendidum; agroecosystems

 

Socio-Economic Characteristics

About 160,000 people currently live in the biosphere reserve (1998). Today, indigenous people are a minority since most of the inhabitants are settlers and Liberian refugees. There is a very high population pressure which has a major impact on the destruction of the forest. Other main concerns in the biosphere reserve are poaching, logging, farming and illegal gold-mining. However, people also live from wild snail (Achatina achatina) and mushroom collection. Research has been carried out for many years and increased the awareness of the international community on the sensible ecosystem of the tropical forest.

 

 

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Last updated: April 2019