Forests
Tree planting in Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire has lost two-thirds of its forests in 30 years through deforestation, intensifying the impacts of extreme weather like floods and droughts.
Project Details
Over the past 30 years, Côte d’Ivoire has lost two-thirds of its forests to agriculture through deforestation, intensifying the climate impacts of extreme weather like floods and droughts. The removal of trees depletes soil productivity, creating a cycle where farmers are pushed to clear more land, and environmental degradation is exacerbated.
To combat this, the government of Côte d’Ivoire produced the Stratégie Nationale de Préservation, de Réhabilitation et d’Extension des Forêts (SPREF) in 2019, which aims to increase forest area to at least 20% by 2030 (6.45 million hectares of forest). Forests are essential for soil stabilization, water retention, and climate regulation, and reforesting land can mitigate these effects by reducing flooding and enhancing soil quality. Achieving this goal will require the planting of 3.48 million hectares of forest by 2030 – equivalent to 348,000 hectares of new trees per year, plus the preservation of existing tree cover.
As part of this plan, the “One School, 5 Hectares of Forest” initiative will plant 6,000 hectares around 1,200 schools, building local flood protection, improving soil health, and educating communities in eco-citizenship. Additionally, agroforestry orchards will provide income for schools and women’s cooperatives.
This model is easily replicable both nationwide and internationally, demonstrating the potential that community reforestation efforts have on a larger scale. Although the reforestation area surrounding each school is modest—averaging just 2,000 trees—the cumulative effect is substantial, resulting in the planting of 2.4 million trees, with the potential to sequester 1.344 million tonnes of carbon.
We will assess the environmental, social, and environmental impacts of three scenarios:
- Nature-Based Infrastructure scenario, consisting of reforestation efforts, which involve reforestation and agroforestry activities.
- Grey Infrastructure scenario, consisting of the construction of conventional drainage channels aimed at reducing stormwater runoff and minimizing damage to infrastructure.
- Business As Usual (BAU) scenario where no action is taken
