In order to prevent the forest from being invaded by the city, Ivory Coast decided to protect it by building walls. In a few months, the Banco National Park in Abidjan will be surrounded by a fence for 10 km. The nature reserve is one of the only two virgin forests in the world to have survived in the heart of a metropolis.
“There is urbanization, the creation of new neighborhoods that tend to encroach on the boundaries of the park, hence the idea of erecting sections of fence to protect the land base of the park,” explains Lt. Colonel Fousséni Coulibaly, park manager.

Security personnel patrol the forest to prevent residents from neighboring neighborhoods from using wood or hunting wildlife for food.

“We have a mobile brigade composed of mobile commandos that provide security 24 hours a day,” says Adama Tondossama, director general of the Ivorian Parks and Reserves Office.

With all these efforts of conversation and maintenance, the Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves hopes to encourage more tourists to explore the site and its 80 kilometers of bike paths.

“It's the first time we've visited a forest so close to a big city,” comments Laurent Pigagnon, a Mauritian tourist. “And so it's very interesting because it's very accessible. In addition, as we can hear, there are a lot of people.”

“Normally, the forest must be preserved because without this forest, today, we would have a lot of sick people in Abidjan,” adds Issiaka Kamaté, a cyclist. “This forest captures everything that is carbon dioxide emitted by factories, cars... and others.”

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Côte d'Ivoire has lost nearly 80% of its natural forests in 50 years, due to agriculture, fires, illegal logging and artisanal mines.