Tai National Park

Friday, November 27, 2015

Reference List

Boafo, Yaw, and Nandjui Awo. 2011. Inventory Report On Elephants In Tai National Park In The Southwest Ivory Coast. Ebook. 1st ed.

Center for Applied Transect Studies,. 2015. 'The Transect'. http://transect.org/transect.html.

Ipsnews.net,. 2015. 'Saving West Africa’S Last Intact Tropical Rainforest Through Tourism | Inter Press Service'. http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/05/ivorians-learn-save-one-last-intact-tropical-rainforests-west-africa-exploiting-tourism/.

Howard, Peter. 2015. 'Tai Forest National Park - Cote D'ivoire | African Natural Heritage'. Africannaturalheritage.Org. Accessed November 20. http://www.africannaturalheritage.org/tai-forest-national-park-cote-divoire/.

Iucn.org,. 2010. 'IUCN - Saving West Africa’S Rainforest Remnants'. http://www.iucn.org/knowledge/focus/previous_focus_topics/2010_worldheritage/ground/?5590/Saving-West-Africas-rainforest-remnants.

Landscapesinitiative.com,. 2015. 'Wider Tai Forest Area - Côte D’Ivoire - Initiative For Sustainable Landscapes'. http://www.landscapesinitiative.com/en/ta--national-park---cote-d-ivoire.

Nandjui, Two. 2015. 'Protecting Tropical Rainforests In Côte D'ivoire'. Wwf.Panda.Org. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/project/projects/index.cfm?uProjectID=CI0004.

Naturesstrongholds.org,. 2015. 'Nature's Strongholds Côte D’Ivoire - TAI NATIONAL PARK'. Accessed November 23. http://www.naturesstrongholds.org/AFRICA/TAI-NATIONAL-PARK.htm.

Wwf.panda.org,. 2011. 'Poaching Contributes To Forest Elephant Declines In Côte D’Ivoire, New Numbers Reveal'. http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?201553/Poaching-contributes-to-forest-elephant-declines-in-Cte-dIvoire-new-numbers-reveal.

Wwf.panda.org,. 2015. 'Projects - Latest Listing Of New Or Updated WWF Projects'.

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/project/projects/index.cfm?uProjectID=CI0004.

Table - Support for Assessment of Current Impacts

Sources:

Boafo, Yaw, and Nandjui Awo. 2011. Inventory Report On Elephants In Tai National Park In The Southwest Ivory Coast. Ebook. 1st ed.

Center for Applied Transect Studies,. 2015. 'The Transect'. http://transect.org/transect.html.

The Future of The Tai National Park

Conservation concerning the Tai National Park is incredibly tricky, as the locals are financially dependent on the farming. Cote d’Ivoire accounts for 43% of the world’s cocoa, making it the largest producer in the world (Landscapesinitiative.com). The production of cocoa greatly supports the economy and is a source of income for many small farmers in the area. If the cocoa farms were taken away, the economy would collapse and thousands of smallholder farmers would be out of a job.

International Union for Conservation of Nature,. 2015. IUCN Logo. Image. http://www.iucn.org/logo/.

International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, is working on the conservation of the Tai National Park currently. Programme on Protected Areas in Central and West Africa regularly carries out assessments on how effective IUCN's management program is. In addition, they regularly train people to work as staff in the park; such jobs include ecotourism, environmental monitoring, wildlife inventories, and the development of management programs (Iucn.org).

Although IUCN is actively working on the conservation of the Tai National Park, it does not seem to be doing the best job due to the lack of financial support, lack of resources, and the heavy dependency on international aid (Howard). Although IUCN implemented a management plan from 2006-2015, it was discovered that there was a 50% reduction in the primate population from 2004/5 to 2009/10 due to poaching.

It seems that, despite the effort IUCN and other programs have made on conserving the Tai National Park, due to financial issues and the lack of international support, the park is not improving as quickly as it should, if at all. If a better plan is not created, poaching will continue to kill the animals in the ecosystem and the farming will continue to degrade the flora diversity.

Sources:

Landscapesinitiative.com,. 2015. 'Wider Tai Forest Area - Côte D’Ivoire - Initiative For Sustainable Landscapes'. http://www.landscapesinitiative.com/en/ta--national-park---cote-d-ivoire.

What the Ecosystem Historically Looked Like

The Tai National Park was established in 1972 through the recommendation of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Nandjui). Tai National Park is warm and rainy year-round, with an average temperature of 80° F. Precipitation is lower in the winter months. The constant rainfall allows for lush rainforests with abundant flowers and fruits, which in turn supports a diverse population of animals and insects. To name a few, Tai National Park is home to elephants, leopards, hogs, and antelopes.

The rainforest within Tai National Park contains 150 species of leguminous trees, trees that produce seeds in pods or flowers, and 16% of these species are endemic to the park. These massive trees have huge trunks and roots, covering the forest floor along with copious ferns, moss and fungi and creating a 200 foot high canopy. This prolific rainforest is characterized by dense evergreen trees that grow to upwards of 40-60 meters and abundant life, and if humans hope to enjoy these beautiful sites in the future, efforts to protect the forest must be increased (naturesstrongholds.org).

Tai National Park. 2015. Image. http://www.inside-africa.co.za/heritage-sites/natural-sites/tai-national-park.

Sources:

The Ecosystem

Celebrating International Day For Biological Diversity. 2013. Image. http://thefrogblog.org.uk/2013/05/22/celebrating-international-day-for-biological-diversity/.

Sustainable Cocoa Project In Cote D’Ivoire’S Tai National Park. 2013. Image. http://thefrogblog.org.uk/2013/05/28/sustainable-cocoa-project-in-cote-divoires-tai-national-park/.

Taï National Park, Côte D'ivoire. 2008. Image. http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156428/.

West African Chimpanzee Must Survive. 2015. Image. Accessed November 16. https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/15572/wild-chimpanzee-foundation/photos/?page=3.

Cote D'ivoire. 2015. Image. Accessed November 16. http://www.paxgaea.com/CotedIvoire.html.

Wider Tai Forest Area - Côte D’Ivoire. 2015. Image. Accessed November 16. http://www.landscapesinitiative.com/en/ta--national-park---cote-d-ivoire.

Current Human Impacts

The forest within the Tai National Park is ranked among the most endangered tropical moist forests in Africa. It is one of the last surviving primary rain forests in West Africa with rich biodiversity that includes both flora and animal species. In addition, the Tai National Park has been deemed a World Heritage Site and has multiple protection zones (Nandjui). Although the Tai National Park is considered of high importance, this has not stopped the farming of cocoa and coffee, slash-and-burn farming, deforestation for timber, illegal gold mining, or poaching.

In the photo above, we have workers taking a break from collecting the sap from rubber trees. As you can see, this photograph shows the monoculture that is so prevalent along the Ivory Coast and within the National Tai Park.
DiCampo, Peter. 2012. Rubber Plantation Farmers, Ivory Coast. Image. http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/ivory-coast-economy-cocoa-rubber-farming-crops.

The human impact on the rainforest within the Tai National Park is quickly degrading the ecosystem and destroying the biodiversity as plants and animals are killed off. Slash-and-burn farming demolishes the ecosystem and the home of many animals in the area. In addition, coffee and cocoa farming creates monoculture that eliminates the diversity of the rainforest. Poaching is quickly killing off the animals that reside in the Tai National Park, for example, it is incredibly detrimental to the African forest elephant population, which has decreased significantly in the last 30 years due to poaching (wwf.panda.org).

Breuer, Thomas. 2014. Endangered Elephant, Ivory Coast. Image. http://inhabitat.com/ivory-coast-relocates-endangered-african-forest-elephants-in-an-effort-to-save-the-species/.

Sources:

Nandjui, Two. 2015. 'Protecting Tropical Rainforests In Côte D'ivoire'. Wwf.Panda.Org. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/project/projects/index.cfm?uProjectID=CI0004.

Wwf.panda.org,. 2011. 'Poaching Contributes To Forest Elephant Declines In Côte D’Ivoire, New Numbers Reveal'. http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?201553/Poaching-contributes-to-forest-elephant-declines-in-Cte-dIvoire-new-numbers-reveal.

What Can Be Done to Maintain Balance Between the People and the Ecosystem?

The WWF is “providing technical support to park authorities, including surveillance, ecotourism and natural resource management and by developing and coordinating environmental education programmes” (WWF) in order to conserve this vulnerable area. The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) and the Ivorian forest protection department (OIPR) have been promoting ecotourism in the Tai National Park to show locals the economic value in preserving this forest and its rare species (IPS).

Another important aspect to finding an effective solution is the promotion of economic development and job creation in areas not relying on the forest so people won’t need to destruct it.

Educating the locals on biodiversity and the importance of maintaining the nature around them is key to protecting this area, especially at the youth level. It should be seen as a source of pride for the people in the area and not just seen as a source of wealth.

Forest Guards from the Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Reserves (OIPR) help protect the forest from poachers

Forest Guards From The OIPR. 2015. Image. Accessed November 17. https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/15572/wild-chimpanzee-foundation/photos/?page=5.

Kids in the Club P.A.N. education program

Club P.A.N.. 2010. Image. http://dnapes.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html.

Sources:

Ipsnews.net,. 2015. 'Saving West Africa’S Last Intact Tropical Rainforest Through Tourism | Inter Press Service'. http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/05/ivorians-learn-save-one-last-intact-tropical-rainforests-west-africa-exploiting-tourism/.

Wwf.panda.org,. 2015. 'Projects - Latest Listing Of New Or Updated WWF Projects'.

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/project/projects/index.cfm?uProjectID=CI0004.