La propriété de l’arbre et de la forêt en Côte d’Ivoire

The document examines the complex legal landscape of tree and forest ownership in Côte d'Ivoire, primarily focusing on the 2019 Forestry Code, the rural land law, and the Civil Code. It distinguishes between natural and planted vegetation and details how ownership is attributed to individuals, legal entities, and rural communities, while noting that ownership does not grant an automatic right to exploit timber without state authorization.

• The 2019 Forestry Code clarifies that ownership of natural forests or natural trees belongs to the owner of the land on which they are located.
• Ownership of planted trees or created forests generally belongs to the landowner, unless a specific agreement exists between the landowner and the person who planted them.
• Under the Civil Code, the principle of accession means that land ownership includes ownership of everything above and below the soil, excluding mineral resources which belong to the State.
• Foreign individuals cannot access rural land ownership under the Constitution and rural land law, but they may own natural trees if they acquired the land before the current law took effect, or own planted trees via lease or agreement.
• Private legal entities (companies) cannot own rural land unless acquired before the 1998 rural land law, but they can own trees or forests through purchase, donation, or by planting on land held via a lease.
• Rural communities lack legal personality and therefore cannot own trees or forests unless they organize themselves as a declared association or an economic interest group.
• Customary ownership of natural trees is implicitly recognized for those who exercise continuous and peaceful customary rights over the land, which can be formalized through a land certificate.
• Ownership of a tree or forest does not grant an automatic right to exploit timber; operators must obtain a personal permit from the Minister in charge of forests and follow sustainable management plans.
• The State can acquire ownership of rural land and its trees through expropriation for public utility or if the land is deemed 'masterless' (e.g., unclaimed successions for over three years).

APA

Kra, R., & Faure, N. (2020). La propriété de l’arbre et de la forêt en Côte d’Ivoire. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/0djpicht/briefing-propriété-de-l-arbre-et-de-la-forêt-cote-d-ivoire.pdf

Chicago

Kra, Raphael, and Nathalie Faure. La propriété de l’arbre et de la forêt en Côte d’Ivoire. ClientEarth, 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/0djpicht/briefing-propriété-de-l-arbre-et-de-la-forêt-cote-d-ivoire.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kra |first1=Raphael |last2=Faure |first2=Nathalie |title=La propriété de l’arbre et de la forêt en Côte d’Ivoire |publisher=ClientEarth |date=August 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/0djpicht/briefing-propriété-de-l-arbre-et-de-la-forêt-cote-d-ivoire.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kra2020proprit, author = {Kra, Raphael and Faure, Nathalie}, title = {{La propriété de l’arbre et de la forêt en Côte d’Ivoire}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/0djpicht/briefing-propriété-de-l-arbre-et-de-la-forêt-cote-d-ivoire.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }