Côte d’Ivoire
The subject for my portrait for Côte d'Ivoire is Karl Diakite who has been working throughout west and central Africa to develop mutliple ecotourism businesses where engaging the local community and preserving the wild environment are at the core of the business
About Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire, also known as Ivory Coast, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south.
Côte d’Ivoire has exceptional biodiversity, vast mineral deposits and significant revenue from cocoa and other exports.Although Cote Divoire has put environmental health at the centre of its development plan it still has significant risks from deforestation and climate change
About Karl
The subject for my portrait for Cote d'Ivoire is Karl Diakite, Managing Director of Living The Wild (LTW), whose core business is consultancy in the management of establishments such as N'ZI River Lodges (NRL) and Taï Forest Lodges (TFL) which are pioneers in green tourism in Côte d'Ivoire.
It was in the heart of the Ivorian savannas that Karl took his first steps with nature, which fueled his love for the natural environment and wildlife. Karl has never been far from conservation work as his family, in 2001, when he was still a young boy, founded the N’Zi Wildlife Reserve, covering 40 000 hectares. Much work had to be done to repair the pre-existing damage.
When her grew up, Karl travelled and worked in various aspects of the wildlife industry throughout Africa, gaining experience that meant when he recently returned to Cote d'Ivoire he had a rounded undestanding of what excellent ecotourism should be. He is particularly passionate about the importance of involving local communities in a mutually beneficial way as the route to success.
Watch the portrait's story below
This video shows the painting process, and tells some of Karl's story.
