Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The Ivory Coast has 31 species of aquatic reptile and five species of marine turtle [ ] 85 Tackling invasive floating plants in Ivorian waterways and lakes The Ivory Coast has had to face invasive floating plants developing in watercourses and lakes around the country. Specifically, there has been an invasion of water cabbage (Pistia striatiotes), kariba weed (Salvinia mo- lesta), and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), species that are native to South America. The plants have come to develop over almost all continental water bodies including a hydroelectric dam lake, and have shown in seasonal coverage of almost all lagoons. These invasive floating plants have negative environmental effects at sev- eral levels. Firstly, they have affected the local environments and habitats by hindering the penetration of sunlight, causing siltation, deoxygen- ation, decreasing aquatic biological diversity and increasing root-asso- ciated invertebrate fauna. Secondly, the invasive floating plants have also affected aquatic fauna by causing the disappearance of benthic species such as molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic insects, (except for oligochaetes, gas- tropods and hematophagous aquatic insects) as well as the disappearance of all species of fish except catfish and phytophagous tilapia fish. Thirdly, concerning the effects on humans, these invasive floating plants consti- tute an impediment to water-related activities such as transport, fishing (including the loss and destruction of fishing gear), and agricultural activities; and cause nuisance due to water-related diseases. To tackle this problem, several measures and actions were carried out to eradicate the plants. Firstly, the collection of plants was performed by manually picking them from the bodies of water. Furthermore, the Bassam inlet was opened in order to evacuate the plants towards the sea. Since they are freshwater plants, the salt from the sea water can destroy them. Additionally, actions of biolog- ical control were carried out through the introduction of phytophagous (plant-eating) insect species special- ised in floating plants. The govern- ment also enhanced the surveillance of transboundary waters and en- forced the rational management of invasive species. As a result of the actions taken, there have been visible improvements of the bodies of water and a recoloni- zation by local aquatic fauna. The Comoé National Park Côte d’Ivoire S ituated in West Africa, the Ivory Coast is bordered in the south by the Atlantic Ocean. Its territory spans 322,562 km 2 and its vegetation is divided among the Guinean and Sudanese domains from the south to the north. The country is characterized by a relatively flat relief featuring plains and plateaus, and mountain ranges in the west, as well as a dense hydrographic network. The Ivorian biodiversity is rich with 17,242 known species. To protect it, the government has established 8 national parks covering 1,732,100ha, 5 natural reserves spanning 339,630ha, and 16 botanical reserves covering 198,418ha. JB Dodane on flickr