Abstract

The classified forest of Haut-Sassandra (CFHS) located in the Center-West of Côte d'Ivoire was infiltrated by the population for agriculture in the 2000s. This forest, initially devoted to timber production before its degradation, is today a vast cocoa-growing area associated with food crops, mainly plantains. The objective of the present study is to assess the overall production of wood, cocoa, and plantain in this state-owned area before (2000) and after its degradation (2019). Processed satellite images covering the CFHS showed an increase in anthropogenic vegetation classes and a decrease in the forest cover class from 2000 to 2019. These transformations resulted in an expansion of cocoa (from 146 t to 18,384 t) and plantain production (from 3,087 t to 187,061 t) at the expense of logging in the CFHS, 16,388 and 3,844 m³ respectively in 2000 and 2019. In addition, there was a loss of about 57% of the expected income from the sale of timber and a 15,912% increase in profits from the sale of agricultural products in 2019 compared to 2000. In such circumstances, it is recommended to implement a sustainable cropping system that will integrate timber production and agricultural production within the same area. 

Key words: Ecosystem service, timber, cocoa production, plantain, anthropogenic pressure, Côte-d’Ivoire, West Africa.