Banco National Park remains under pressure in Abidjan
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Ivoire Actu
Banco National Park covers 3,438 hectares of primary forest in the heart of Abidjan and plays a role in climate regulation and water supply. Its edges remain exposed to illegal occupation and waste dumping, according to Ivoire Actu.
Banco National Park, which covers 3,438 hectares in the heart of Abidjan, continues to face illegal occupation, waste dumping, timber harvesting and poaching. The forest is enclosed between the communes of Abobo, Adjamé, Attécoubé and Yopougon. These pressures threaten an area that contributes to regulating urban temperatures, filtering air and supplying water to some neighbourhoods, according to Ivoire Actu.
A rehabilitation programme worth several billion CFA francs has renovated visitor facilities, the ecomuseum and arboretum, as well as improved access to the park. Sections of fencing have also been built to limit intrusions. The Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves (OIPR), responsible for managing the country's protected areas, has a development and management plan. Ecotourism activities, including hiking and guided tours, have also resumed, reports Ivoire Actu.
Created in 1953, Banco National Park was the focus of a mobilisation by Ivorian parliamentarians on 10 October 2026, during a four-kilometre walk organised in the forest. The initiative was part of awareness-raising efforts around the preservation of Banco National Park.
