Côte d’Ivoire joins CMS as the 83rd Party on 1 July 2003. The West African state borders the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia. Its border countries Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea and Mali are already Party to CMS.

Côte d’Ivoire has ratified the following environment-related treaties: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (Algiers Convention), and the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region (Abidjan Convention). Within the CMS framework, Côte d’Ivoire is already a signatory State to the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for Marine Turtles of the Atlantic coast of Africa. The intergovernmental meeting, which adopted the MoU, was actually held at Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in May 1999. The MoU itself is often referred to as the Abidjan Memorandum.

Mostly flat to undulating plains stretch from the Gulf of Guinea to mountains in the Northwest. A great number of species cross the Golf of Guinea on their migration routes. Over 70 species of migratory birds covered by CMS Appendices are reported for the Côte d’Ivoire. Among them the Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), a species designated for concerted actions under CMS. As regards other species than birds, Côte d’Ivoire is a Range State to four species of marine turtles (the Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), the Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), the Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and the Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). The presence of the Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is also possible. Other marine species of CMS concern that can be found in Côte d’Ivoire waters include the Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and the West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis). This latter species was listed during COP7 in September 2002. Together with its border countries Côte d’Ivoire is also home to the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) listed on CMS Appendix II. The West African populations of this biggest terrestrial mammal are classified as endangered according to IUCN, and they are also listed on Appendix I of CITES. The accession of Côte d’Ivoire to CMS is expected to facilitate the establishment of protected migratory corridors, linking various habitats of African elephant populations in West Africa.