Context
During the period from 2002 to 2012 the Comoé National Park was strongly affected by the political crisis in Ivory Coast. The infrastructure suffered and the monitoring of the park could not be ensured as before. The fauna and flora were disturbed by human influences. Since the end of the crisis the ecological system has regenerated, but to ensure long-term protection of the park large-scale investments will be necessary.
In addition, the living conditions of the population living in the vicinity of the park remain far behind the national average. This difficult socio-economic situation leads to human pressure on the park through activities such as hunting and transhumance. Raising the awareness of the population towards a sustainable protection of the park becomes essential for the success of the project.
Project description
This project is one of the initiatives for biodiversity conservation in the Comoé National Park (CNP) and its surrounding areas supported by the German Cooperation.
The objective of the project is to support the „Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves (OIPR)“, so that it can ensure a sustainable management of the Comoé National Park in cooperation with the local population and other local and regional partners. The OIPR, through the Direction de Zone Nord-Est (DZNE), is the promoter of the project.
A first phase was implemented from 2017 to 2020. The second phase, planned from 2021 to 2025, will also focus on the rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure and the provision of essential equipment to the Park’s administration and local communities, with the aim of creating an environment propitious to the protection of biodiversity and the improvement of the living conditions of the Park’s local populations.
