Ivory Coast, which has lost nearly all its forests in the last half century, has launched a major project to triple its cover by 2030, the government announced Thursday. The Forests Investment Project aims to cover 6.5 million hectares (16 million acres) — or 20 percent of the country — said the World Bank, which is financing the 143-million-euro ($149 million) scheme. The project would also help preserve 300,000 hectares of forest-land classed as degraded in the southwest, as well as forests in the northern Savanes zone, said Waters and Forests Minister Laurent Tchagba. The seven-year project will benefit the country’s four national parks, including the Tai Forest National Park in the west of the country, classed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.