Taï National Park (Parc National de Taï) is a protected area in Ivory Coast that holds one of the last remaining sections of old-growth rainforest in West Africa. It was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1982 because of the variety of plants and animals living there. Five mammal species in the park are listed as threatened: the pygmy hippopotamus, olive colobus monkeys, leopards, chimpanzees, and Jentink's duiker.
The park is located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the coast of Ivory Coast, near the border with Liberia between the Cavalla and Sassandra rivers. It covers an area of 3,300 square kilometers (1,300 square miles), with a surrounding buffer zone of 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) that extends up to 396 meters (1,299 feet) in elevation.
The Taï Forest reserve was first established in 1926 and became a national park in 1972. It was designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1978 and added to the list of Natural World Heritage Sites in 1982.
The Taï Forest is a natural home to the Ebola virus. The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the closeness of this area to Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan.
Geography
The park covers an area of 4,540 square kilometers (1,750 square miles) and is located in the south-western part of Ivory Coast, near the border with Liberia. The land rises from 80 meters (260 feet) to 396 meters (1,299 feet) at Mount Niénokoué. The park lies on an ancient granite surface made of rocks such as migmatites, biotites, and gneiss. The land slopes from the drier north, which has gentle hills, to the wetter south, where the land is more broken by rivers. A flat area between 150 and 200 meters (490 and 660 feet) is interrupted by large granite rock formations, including Mount Niénokoué. A long strip of different types of rock runs across the park from north-east to south-west, and rivers such as the N'zo, Meno, and Hana flow through it, emptying into the Cavally River. These rivers are wide during the rainy season but become shallow streams in the dry season. The northern edge of the nearby N'Zo Faunal Reserve is marked by a large lake created by the Buyo Dam on the N'zo and Sassandra rivers. There are swamps in the north-west of the park and in the N'Zo area. The soil is poor and leached, but in the southern valleys, there are more fertile soils. Small amounts of gold and other minerals are found in the area.
The park has two main climate zones. Rainfall averages 1,700 millimeters (67 inches) in the north and 2,200 millimeters (87 inches) in the south-west, falling mainly from March to July, with a shorter rainy season in September and October. The south has no dry season, but the north has a dry period from November to February or March, made worse by dry winds called the Harmattan. These winds began affecting the region around 1970 after much of the country's forests were cut down. Temperatures stay between 24 and 27°C (75 and 81°F) due to the forests and ocean, but daily temperatures can range from 25 to 35°C (77 to 95°F). Humidity is high at 85%, and winds mostly come from the south-west. In 1986, Ivory Coast had 30% less rain than usual, possibly because forests were lost. Over 90% of the country's forests were cut down in the past 50 years, reducing water loss from plants and soil.
The park is one of the last parts of the large Upper Guinean rain forest that once covered areas in Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. It is the largest remaining forest area in West Africa that is still mostly intact. The forest is located in a region important for plant diversity and is home to many species found only in eastern Liberia and western Ivory Coast. This may be because the area was a refuge during the Ice Age. The park has about 1,300 plant species, with 54% found only in the Guinean zone. The forest is dense and made up of tall trees with large trunks and roots.
Two main types of forest exist: in the south, there are forests with many types of trees, including legumes, and in the north, there are forests with fewer types of trees. Many plants grow on trees and in the lower layers, such as Platycerium, Nephrolepis biserrata, Drymaria, and Asplenium africanum. In the south-west, forests on rocky soil are dominated by trees like ebony (Diospyros gabunensis), Mapania baldwinii, and Heritiera utilis. These areas have many species found only in the region, especially near Mount Niénokoué. Poorer soils in the north and south-east support trees like Eremospatha macrocarpa and Diospyros mannii. Swamp forests near rivers have trees like Raphia and species such as Gilbertiodendron splendidum. The rocky hills have grasses and trees like Spathodea campanulata. Some plants once thought to be extinct, like Amorphophallus staudtii, have been found in the park. Since logging stopped in 1972, the forest has recovered, though many areas now have planted trees.
People in the Taï region use forest plants for medicine and daily life. The fruit of Thaumatococcus daniellii, called katamfe, is used in traditional medicine and is much sweeter than sugar. The bark of Terminalia superba is used to treat malaria. This shows the park has many plant species that could be important for science and medicine.
The park has many animal species, with nearly 1,000 vertebrates. It is home to 140 mammal species, including 47 of the 54 large mammals found in the Guinean rain forest. Some species are found only in this area, and five are at risk of extinction. The park's location between two rivers has helped it stay unique.
Mammals include 11 primate species, such as western red colobus, Diana monkeys, and chimpanzees. In the 1980s, there were over 2,000 chimpanzees, but numbers have likely dropped in recent years. Chimpanzees in the park are known for using tools. Other mammals include bats, flying squirrels, pangolins, and forest animals like duikers, rodents, and the pygmy hippopotamus.
The park is in an area with many bird species, including 28 found only in the Guinean zone. Over 250 bird species have been recorded, with 143 living in primary forests. Examples include the African crowned eagle and the rufous fishing owl.
Local human population
The original tribes of the forest region — the Guéré and Oubi — did not eat chimpanzees because of religious beliefs, which helped protect chimpanzee populations. French influence began in the mid-1800s. Before the late 1960s, there were few people living in the area. Later, the construction of a reservoir in the N'Zo valley and drought in the Sahel caused people to move south. A population of about 3,200 in 1971 grew to 57,000 by 1991. Today, the park is surrounded by 72 villages, and many illegal settlers live within the park.
Among the three main farming groups, the rural Bakoué and Kroumen cleared parts of the forest but left medicinal trees intact. In contrast, the Baoulé, along with new residents including refugees displaced by the N'Zo River dam, conflicts in Liberia and Ivory Coast, and drought in the Sahel, now make up 90% of the population. These groups have cut down large areas of the forest in the buffer zone without care. In their place, they grow cash and food crops using shifting farming methods to reduce deaths from malaria. The east side of the park has been most affected by this. These people do not support the park, and officials have not provided them with information about it (DPN, 2002).
Scientific research and facilities
The park was part of a UNESCO Man & Biosphere project that studied how human activities affect the natural forest ecosystem. This large research effort was supported by the Institute for Tropical Ecology and the Centre for Ecological Research at the University of Abobo-Adjamé in the nearby town of Taï. Scientists from Ivory Coast, France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland worked together on different research programs. This research continues today. The park and its studies offer valuable opportunities for training and scientific learning. The French Office de la recherche scientifique et technique outre-mer (ORSTOM) has conducted research there for many years. In 1984, a Dutch team used an ultra-light aircraft for low-altitude photography to identify dying trees for timber. Ivorian scientists studied forest termites as part of the IUCN / WWF Plants Campaign from 1984 to 1985. The government’s Institute of Forestry also researched plantation crops. Between 1989 and 1991, BirdLife International completed the Taï Avifaunal Survey, which was summarized in a report by Gartshore et al. (1995). The Dutch Tropenbos Foundation published a detailed, well-referenced study of the park in 1994. From 1979 to 1985, Swiss researchers studied chimpanzees, and their work continued until 1994, when evidence of an ebola virus in humans and antibodies in other animals was found.
An ecological station (L'Institut d'Ecologie Tropicale) is located in the Audrenisrou basin within the park’s core area. A German team base is at Fedfo camp in the buffer zone. A Biosphere Reserve station, 18 km southeast of Taï village, includes several prefabricated houses, a communal kitchen, two well-equipped laboratories, and an electric generator. It is managed and funded nationally by 2–3 Ivorian staff members.
From 1993 to 2002, the Project Autonome pour la Conservation du Parc National de Taï (PACPNT), supported by GTZ, KfW, and WWF, worked with the Parks Department (Direction des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves) to improve park management and monitoring, inventory the park’s plants and animals, launch conservation projects with local communities, and study seven monkey species. Phase I results were reported in 1997, and Phase II in 2002. This project produced over 50 scientific papers on topics such as tool use by chimpanzees, the ebola virus, and the potential of the park’s wildlife for food and medicine. In 2002, the national Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Reserves took charge of the park’s scientific and technical management, including policy, protection, research, education, and communication for all parks. A Scientific Council was formed to include international and local NGOs. A second research station and a canopied walkway were added on the park’s eastern side. However, a national workshop from 2002 to 2003 highlighted challenges, including limited scientific research, monitoring, coordination with foreign institutions, access to research findings, low community involvement, and the need for better inventory of the forest’s resources.
Ecotourism in Taï National Park
Taï National Park allows visitors to enjoy ecotourism, where they can see chimpanzees and other wildlife. Tourists may choose to visit the northern or southern sections of the park. The park is located about 10 hours by car from Abidjan, which is the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire. Getting there can be difficult, but it is possible. Inside the park, visitors may see chimpanzees and other primates, take long hikes, and visit the Ecomuseum.