Deforestation and managerial scales in Côte d'Ivoire

• Published in: Journal of sustainable forestry Vol. 35; no. 6; pp. 397 - 416
• Main Authors: Kouadio, Bertin Yao, Dawson, Jeffrey O., Mendoza, Guillermo A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 17-08-2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Cartographic data; Cartography; Deforestation; forest fragmentation; Forest management; forest policy; Forestry; managerial scale; Sustainability; timber exploitation; ASE, Cote d'Ivoire
• ISSN: 1054-9811; 1540-756X
• DOI: 10.1080/10549811.2016.1192045

We provide evidence that a factor contributing to the specific patterns of deforestation in Côte d'Ivoire is the set of spatial units of management used to structure wood extraction. Timber harvests were organized through a system of harvest perimeters, called "chantier," for nearly a century. Chantiers were initiated as managerial instruments. However, their use as spatial tool for profit maximization led to positional anarchy. The lack of support for sustainable harvests from the legislation, the restoration system, and the tree-based policy governing the use of their content made the chantier the basis of a one-way resources extraction. Managerial scales facilitated clearing of forests. None served to regenerate forests. Using historical and official documents, satellite and cartographic data, we attempted to demonstrate how managerial scales aiming to organize logging have contributed to deforestation. We discuss the phases of fragmentation in the rainforest, the managerial scales, and the environmental context in which they were applied. We summarize the legislation that governed the managerial scales and how these scales organized space but the tree species-based policies and activities resulted in the forest's dilapidation. The final section addresses the use of these scales in the creation of data for policy making.