81282633-Governance and sustainable management of natural resources in the Comoé and Taï area, Côte d"Ivoire (Pro2GRN)

Agriculture continues to determine the economic development of Côte d'Ivoire (CIV) and is of outstanding importance for the future of the country. It contributes to 22% of the gross domestic product (GDP), generates over 50% of all export earnings and two thirds of the Ivorian population is directly dependent on agricultural production. However, the exploitation of natural resources is causing ecological problems and endangering the economic foundations of the future. The integrity of the World Heritage Sites Taï National Park (PNT) in the southwest and Comoé National Park (PNC) in the northeast is threatened by the increasing degradation of natural resources in the riparian areas. The economic activities of the riparian population (agriculture, livestock and fisheries) are highly dependent on the ecosystem services provided by the two parks (including regulation of water quantity and quality, local climate regulation, insect pollination of crops). Heavy reliance on a few (export) crops and low levels of agricultural processing pose significant risks to rural households in the event of crop or price fluctuations. Low productivity and unsustainable resource management, especially of export crops, are accompanied by high land use, soil degradation, and deforestation. Biodiversity within the park boundaries is threatened above all by poaching and gold prospecting. Within the framework of the programme "Governance and sustainable management of natural resources in the area of Tai and Comoé" (Pro2GRN), GIZ, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has signed an agreement with the European Union, which, together with the Federal Republic of Germany, is co-financing the Action entitled "Agroforestry Comoé" (December 2019). This Action, which is integrated in the Pro2GRN as its fourth output, has introduced in 2020 an agroforestry system in the western Comoé region that has already been tested in other countries to rehabilitate the fertility of agricultural soils, while creating new income opportunities and improving carbon sequestration. In the agreement between the partners, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Côte d'Ivoire (MINEDD) is mentioned as an implementing partner, notably through the intervention of experts from the Directorate for the Fight against Climate Change (DLCC). Through this Directorate, the Ministry is involved in the implementation of a pilot initiative of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) that will allow to evaluate the impact of the project activities on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and to integrate them into the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions). Under the contract, an MRV system for the Comoé National Park region in north-eastern Côte d'Ivoire will be designed to comply with the relevant UNFCCC standards, institutionally anchored, capacity development measures implemented, and a scaling-up concept developed.