Ivory Coast/Côte d'Ivoire

WCS has been involved in conservation in Côte d’Ivoire since 1986 when the West African Manatee conservation and education project began in collaboration with the Ivorian Ministry of Water and Forests.  Initially, the distribution of manatees on the entire coastal area of Côte d’Ivoire was mapped and six different habitats were identified.  The lagoon complexes of Grand-Lahou and Fresco linked together by the Fresco canal were found to be the most important.  Based on a very rough estimate, it was proposed that the total numbers of manatees still surviving in Côte d’Ivoire was well below 750-800 individuals.

Data from radio tracking showed that manatee behavior was being significantly affected by the activities of the local communities who depend on these water systems for their livelihood requirements.  The study has also shown that most of the rivers found in the Port Gauthier forest and around the Azagny National park were also very important manatee feeding sites.  This clearly indicated that the long-term conservation of the West African manatee depends not just on the protection of remaining individuals and the water bodies where they live, but also the conservation of keys habitats around these waters.

 

Radio tracking manatee          ©Akoi Kouadio/WCS

Thus, the initial manatee project was recently expanded to a costal wetlands and biodiversity management program which included the protection of the Azagny National Park and the Port Gauthier classified forest.  These sites harbor important populations of elephants, pygmy hippo,  chimpanzees and other rare monkeys and surveys have been conducted in these sites to assess the populations and distribution of these species and also the impacts of elephant crop-raiding on nearby communities.  This information will be used to improve management of these important coastal forests.

The Human Aspect
Coastal areas in West-Africa show higher human population density and growth than other areas and the manatees are restricted to these habitats that are highly valued and used by humans.  In this region, there is an increasing number of humans settling who are dependant on the landscape for their livelihood.  The local communities fish in these water systems and also hunt manatees and other wildlife.  On the other hand manatees are tribal totems for some ethnical groups in West-Africa protecting them traditionally in some areas. 

Threats
Due to the high population density, the manatees are human activities.  They are hunted for their meat and other body parts, making human the only significant predator of manatees.  There are also the incidental manatee killings resulting from the use of large fishing nets in which manatees get trapped and drown.  Habitat loss and human disturbance also poses a threat, as do accidents with large, fast boats.  Manatees are also at risk of being poisoned by chemical pesticides used in agricultural close to water bodies.  The wildlife in the forests is under threat from poaching and is at risk of human-wildlife disease transmission due to the strong and regular presence of humans in the landscape.

WCS Activities
Long term research and data collection on the biology and status of six populations of manatees in Côte d’Ivoire, training and capacity building for local resource managers in research and conservation techniques, and initiating a public awareness campaign. Our activities have so far shown positive effects with decreasing hunting pressure on those manatee populations located in areas where the awareness campaign was conducted. We are also working in Azagny National Park and Port Gauthier classified forest to survey populations of chimpanzees, pygmy hippos and elephants.  Other activities also include the monitoring of human presence, patrols against illegal poaching and the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts in the region.  There is also an extensive education program in local schools and a campaign to promote sustainable resource use by local fishermen in the Fresco and Grand-Lahou lagoon complexes.

Important Next Steps
• Finalize and implement a regional action plan for the West-Africa Manatee.
• Develop a management plan for Azagny National Park
• Develop and implement coastal zone management for the wider Fresco and Grand-Lahou lagoon and coastal forest landscape.
• Coordinate a regional network of scientists working on West Africa Manatees
• Develop a set of guidelines entitled ‘Living with Manatees’ to act as training guide to their conservation.