Located in the northeastern part of Côte d’Ivoire, Comoé National Park is one of West Africa’s largest protected natural areas, spanning a total surface area of approximately 11,500 square kilometres (1.15 million hectares). Situated across the Bondoukou, Zanzan (Koun-Fao), and Bouna regions, the park is geographically defined by the Comoé River, which flows through it, and the Black Volta River, which marks the eastern border with Burkina Faso. Its ecological significance stems from its position within a transitional zone between the tropical rainforests to the south and the dry Sudanian savanna to the north.
Legal measures to protect the area began during the French colonial period in the mid-20th century; it was initially declared a wildlife and livestock reserve in 1953, known as the “Bouna Reserve” (“Réserve de Bouna”). Following Côte d’Ivoire’s independence—specifically under Presidential Decree No. 68-81, issued on February 9, 1968—the reserve was officially reclassified as “Comoé National Park”. Its boundaries were expanded, and its status was strictly defined to prohibit human settlement and agricultural activities within its confines.
The park has also experienced changes in its international protection status; in 2003, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This decision followed the armed conflict and political crisis that erupted in Côte d’Ivoire in 2002. The resulting loss of administrative control by government agencies over the northern provinces paved the way for the proliferation of illegal hunting, overgrazing, and artisanal gold mining. Following the stabilisation of the political and security situation, the redeployment of the Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves (OIPR), and intensified security patrols—supported by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) and international funding—environmental indicators improved, leading to the site’s removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger in July 2017.
The general topography of Comoé National Park is characterised by an expansive plain ranging from 250 to 500 metres above sea level, interspersed with residual hills and isolated rocky outcrops, such as the Monts Gorohoui-Kongoli. The Comoé River flows through the reserve for over 230 kilometres, serving as the primary water source that sustains the area during dry periods.
The reserve experiences a Sudano-Guinean climate characterised by two main seasons:
- The dry season: Extending from November to April, this period sees receding water levels and the drying up of secondary rivers and ponds, leaving only the main channel of the Comoé River and a few permanent waterholes.
- The rainy season: Extending from May to October, with annual rainfall ranging between 1,000 and 1,200 mm. The rainfall causes rivers to overflow and creates vast areas of temporary wetlands.
The park exhibits structural diversity in its vegetation, driven by climatic gradients and soil quality. This has created an ecological diversity that can be categorised into several types. The Gallery Forests, extending along the banks of the Comoé River and its major tributaries; these consist of dense, evergreen trees adapted to high soil moisture, such as “Mitragyna inermis” and “Spondias mombin”.
The Shrub and Grass Savanna, which covers the largest portion of the park, consists of tall grasses (such as *Andropogon*) and scattered trees resistant to drought and fire—most notably the shea tree (“Vitellaria paradoxa”) and the baobab (“Adansonia digitata”).
Forest Islands, which are patches of semi-evergreen dry forest scattered throughout the savanna, provide refuge for animals adapted to dense vegetation.
Comoé National Park is home to a range of vertebrate and invertebrate species that illustrate the interplay between tropical and Sudanian environments. It hosts various mammal species, although their populations declined sharply during periods of political crisis compared to the second half of the 20th century.
Key mammals include populations of both forest and savanna elephants, though their numbers have significantly declined due to poaching for ivory tusks. The park represents one of the last remaining refuges for the endangered West African lion (“Panthera leo leo”), alongside a small population of leopards (“Panthera pardus”). Numerous species are present, such as the kob (“Kobus kob”), roan antelope (“Hippotragus equinus”), western hartebeest (“Alcelaphus buselaphus major”), and dik-dik.
The park is home to approximately 11 primate species, most notably the western chimpanzee (“Panthera troglodytes verus”), olive baboon (“Papio anubis”), and mangabey. More than 500 bird species have been recorded within the reserve, leading to its designation as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. Resident and migratory birds include the African white-backed vulture and griffon vulture; the goliath heron and marabou stork; and herons and open-billed storks that rely on aquatic habitats.
The waterways serve as a habitat for three species of African crocodiles: the Nile crocodile (“Crocodylus niloticus”), the slender-snouted crocodile (“Mecistops cataphractus”), and the dwarf crocodile (“Osteolaemus tetraspis”). The area is also inhabited by various species of tortoises, aquatic turtles, and fish adapted to the seasonal hydrological cycle.
Despite ongoing field efforts to protect the reserve, Comoé National Park faces structural challenges that impact its ecological stability. The persistent targeting of large mammals for bushmeat or the illegal trade in animal parts, such as hides and ivory. The entry of domestic livestock herds from neighbouring areas and the northern border during the dry season, leading to competition with wildlife for water and forage, as well as disease transmission between livestock and wild animals.
The proliferation of unregulated gold mining activities along riverbanks, causing watercourse contamination with chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide, alongside soil erosion. Seasonal fires are ignited by hunters or herders to create new grazing areas; these can spiral out of control, destroying vast tracts of young vegetation.
The Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves (OIPR) manages the park on the ground by dividing the reserve into sectors where surveillance patrols are conducted using GPS and aerial monitoring technologies. The reserve also hosts the “Comoé National Park Research Station”—affiliated with the University of Würzburg in Germany—which was established in the 1990s, suspended operations during the war, and subsequently resumed its activities. The station focuses on studying climate change, savanna dynamics, chimpanzee behaviour, and the response of ecosystems to human pressure.
