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:

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.