Land disputes gnaw at Côte d'Ivoire's forests
ABIDJAN: Protracted land disputes in western Côte d'Ivoire have driven some residents to occupy protected government forests, contributing to extensive deforestation and leaving just a fraction of the forest cover that existed at independence. Now, authorities are moving to expel forest residents, heightening tensions in the country's most volatile provinces.
Many people in Cote d'Ivoire have been forced to switch to firewood from more expensive gas in order to cook their food. But this is adding to the deforestation problem. Image source:
IRINThe breakdown of law during Côte d'Ivoire's conflict years, from 2002 to 2007, and more recently the 2010-2011 post-election violence, also contributed to forest degradation by allowing indiscriminate illegal logging and forest occupation.
The waves of conflict forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, which, in western Côte d'Ivoire, the country's most agriculturally rich region, exacerbated land disputes. Land left behind by fleeing families was often occupied, rented or illegally sold by others; to avoid land conflicts, some returnees settled in protected forests.
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