Taï National Park

World Heritage Research

Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Taï National Park from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.

• Forest structure recovery around West Africa’s last great rainforest: Modelling complex dynamics in Taï national park

  Forest recovery in Taï National Park, West Africa's last great rainforest, varies dramatically depending on structural attributes and past land use. Biomass recovery is the slowest, requiring over 100 years for near-complete restoration, while diameter and height recover faster (20–40 years). Cocoa fields show the fastest recovery across all attributes due to remnant trees and forest connectivity, whereas gold mining sites exhibit extremely slow regeneration because of severe soil degradation. The study used a Bayesian framework to model recovery trajectories in 118 plots, assessing the influence of past land use, disturbance, and environmental factors. Protecting remnant trees and managing disturbances are crucial for enhancing passive regeneration, which holds significant promise for long-term forest resilience.

  Houphouët, A. D. L., Sangne, Y. C., Diarrassouba, A., Adou Yao, Y. C., Betbeder, J., & Hérault, B. (2025). Forest structure recovery around West Africa’s last great rainforest: Modelling complex dynamics in Taï national park. Trees, Forests and People, 22, 101005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2025.101005

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• The turtle fauna of a West African rainforest (Taï national park, Côte d’Ivoire)

  A survey of Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire, identified four turtle species, including two critically endangered (Kinixys homeana) and one vulnerable (Trionyx triunguis). The study used opportunistic sampling for terrestrial turtles in open and closed undergrowth habitats, along with baited traps for aquatic species in the Meno River. While data on conservation status for Kinixys erosa and Pelusios cupulatta remain insufficient, this research highlights the park's biodiversity and underscores urgent conservation needs for threatened species.

  Aya Blanche Prisca IRI, Konan Hervé OUSSOU, N’Guessan Emmanuel ASSEMIAN, & Abdoulaye DIARRASSOUBA. (2024). The turtle fauna of a West African rainforest (Taï national park, Côte d’Ivoire). GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 26(1), 341–348. https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2024.26.1.0008

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• Diversity of plant organs consumed by elephants in Taï National Park, southwest Côte d'Ivoire

  A study in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, reveals that elephants consume at least 335 plant species, with leafy twigs (53%) and fruits (31%) being the most favored. Parinari excelsa, Sacoglottis gabonensis, and Tieghemella heckelii emerged as the top fruit species consumed. The research used transect surveys, poop excavations, and roving surveys to document this dietary diversity, highlighting seasonal variations in elephant feeding behavior tied to plant phenology. This insight underscores the critical role of food resource availability in shaping elephant movements and distribution, offering key implications for their sustainable conservation.

  (Ed.). (2024). Diversity of plant organs consumed by elephants in Taï National Park, southwest Côte d’Ivoire. Journal of Chemical, Biological and Physical Sciences, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.24214/jcbps.d.14.2.25974

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• Epiphytic Dynamics of the Adaptations to the Changes of Habitats in Taï National Park

  Research in Taï National Park reveals that formerly anthropized forests in the Djapadji sector exhibit a strong dynamic of plant cover reconstitution, particularly evident through the distribution and diversity of epiphytic plants. The study identified 26 epiphyte species across 18 genera and 9 families, predominantly found in mountain forests, with strict epiphytes and hemiepiphytes thriving in preserved habitats while accidental epiphytes appeared in reconstitution biotopes. This suggests that degraded areas are recovering ecologically, offering insights into the resilience of plant communities under anthropogenic pressures. The research employed floristic inventories and structural analysis of tree formations to assess biodiversity and habitat recovery, contributing valuable data for monitoring forest dynamics in fragmented landscapes.

  Anthelme, G., Mathieu, E., Junior, P., Lydie, K., Carmel, Y., Marie-Solange, T., Henri, K., & Yves, A. (2024). Epiphytic Dynamics of the Adaptations to the Changes of Habitats in Taï National Park. American Journal of Life Sciences, 12(4), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20241204.11

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• On the Occurrence of Pelusios gabonensis in the Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire)

  Research confirms the presence of Pelusios gabonensis, a threatened freshwater turtle, within the mature forests of Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. This discovery holds significant conservation value due to the species' geographic isolation from other known populations in the Lower Guinean forests, highlighting its potential as a unique genetic lineage. The study leverages fragmentary historical data and field observations to establish this population's occurrence, emphasizing the need for further research into its conservation status and genetic distinctiveness.

  Koné, D., Diarrassouba, A., Diagne, T., & Luiselli, L. (2024). On the Occurrence of Pelusios gabonensis in the Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire). African Journal of Ecology, 62(3). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13320

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• Drivers of cocoa agroforestry adoption by smallholder farmers around the Taï National Park in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire

  Over half of cocoa farmers around Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park (TNP) are adopting improved agroforestry practices, integrating more trees into their plantations. This shift, driven by factors like gender, residency length, crop diversity, and disease pressure, offers a promising strategy to balance agricultural productivity with biodiversity conservation. Researchers surveyed 323 smallholder farmers, revealing that while traditional practices dominate—such as unimproved cocoa varieties (95%) and pruning (82%)—there is growing engagement with agroforestry, including increased tree planting (54%). These findings underscore the potential for leveraging local knowledge to support sustainable agriculture initiatives like the Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI) and REDD+, thereby mitigating deforestation pressures on TNP.

  Kouassi, J.-L., Diby, L., Konan, D., Kouassi, A., Bene, Y., & Kouamé, C. (2023). Drivers of cocoa agroforestry adoption by smallholder farmers around the Taï National Park in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41593-5

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• Chimpanzees produce diverse vocal sequences with ordered and recombinatorial properties

  Chimpanzees at Taï National Park exhibit a complex vocal sequence production system with ordered and recombinatorial properties, challenging the notion that such flexibility is unique to human language. Researchers analyzed 4826 recordings from 46 wild adult chimpanzees, identifying 390 unique vocal sequences. These sequences show positional and transitional regularities, with certain two-unit sequences (bigrams) predictably occurring in specific positions within longer three-unit sequences (trigrams). This structured recombination of single units suggests a versatile system capable of generating diverse meanings, though further research is needed to determine the extent of this semantic potential.

  Girard-Buttoz, C., Zaccarella, E., Bortolato, T., Friederici, A. D., Wittig, R. M., & Crockford, C. (2022). Chimpanzees produce diverse vocal sequences with ordered and recombinatorial properties. Communications Biology, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03350-8

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