Tanoé Swamps Forest in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is one of the last remaining old growth forests in the country and the last refuge for three highly endangered primates -- the Miss Waldron's Red Colobus, the Geoffroy's colobus and the Diana roloway -- as well as home to many endangered plant species.
Tanoé Forest is thought to contain the last remaining population of Piliocolobus waldronae (known as Miss Waldron's Red Colobus). This is a species formerly widespread in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, but hunted to extinction over most of its range and declared extinct in 1998; yet a freshly shot specimen was found, in the early 2000s, having been hunted in the Tanoé Forest.
Under threat
Despite international protests, the palm oil company PALM-CI has just begun destroying this 6,000 hectare forest to convert it to oil palm plantations. They are currently building drainage systems at the periphery and, once the rainy season is over, they intend to clearcut all of the forest.
Endangered species
If the forest is destroyed, the three primate species as well as many plant species will almost certainly become globally extinct. Large amounts of carbon dioxide will be released from the carbon-rich swamp forests.
Unilever -- one of the world's leading food and personal care consumer brands -- is one of the main companies behind PALM-CI and the destruction of the Tanoé Swamps Forest. They have been a long-term investor in PALM-CI and are represented on the company's board. They are stakeholders in a joint venture, Newco, which is the main customer of PALM-CI.
Source: http://www.climateark.org/