A new study recommends shade-grown cocoa agroforestry systems to prevent further deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire which is drastically impacting on primate populations.

The study, published in the journal, Tropical Conservation Science, is the subject of an article on Mongabay.com.

“A number of agroforestry strategies could also potentially serve the needs of both local economies and ecosystems,” say the researchers, the most promising of which is shade-grown cocoa.

Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest producer of cocoa and also contains ecosystems of high species diversity. But high deforestation rates (annual forest losses of 265,000 hectares) largely due to the establishment of illegal cocoa plantations inside protected areas are affecting the country’s biodiversity, particularly primates.

For the study, scientists surveyed 23 protected areas and found a significant link between cocoa farming and the absence of primate species.

Read the full story: Illegal cocoa plantations threaten Côte d’Ivoire’s parks and primates

Download the scientific article:

Bitty, A.E., Bi, S.G., Bene, JC. K., Kouassi, P.K., and McGraw, S.W. (2015). Cocoa farming and primate extirpation inside Cote d’Ivoire’s protected areas. Tropical Conservation Science 8(1), 95-113

Find out more about the Vision for Change program, of which the World Agroforestry Centre is a partner: Building Sustainable Cocoa Communities in Cote d’Ivoire