Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo

Project Name Support to conservation activities in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
Country Republic of Congo
Time Frame September 2010 – December 2011
Direct Benefits Conservation of biodiversity; improved human health through Ebola health monitoring; income generation through recruitment of local staff & tourism development.
Web http://www.cbd.int/lifeweb/?eoi= 6178

The Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) covers an area of approximately 4,200km2 in the northern Republic of Congo. Combined with the Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in Central African Republic, and adjacent logging concessions, the Sangha Trinational protected area extends over approximately 35,000 km2 and harbours the world’s most important populations of forest elephants, red river hogs, bongo antelope, and is one of the last remaining strongholds for western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees in Africa.

The park is also home to some of the last populations of “naïve” chimpanzees which reside in the Goualougo Triangle and display a certain curiosity towards human observers encountering them for the first time. In addition to their ecological values, these forests are also important for their economic and cultural values.

However, as human population in the region increases and loggers expand into ever-more isolated parts of the forest, the future of these large tracts of undisturbed forest is increasingly uncertain. In the north of the Congo over 90% of the landmass now lies within logging concessions, while the increasing commercial trade in bushmeat also threatens the future of these forests.

This project will help strengthen the management of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in order to improve wildlife health monitoring and wildlife conservation planning in the region. It will also contribute to law enforcement and monitoring, including Ebola health monitoring and promote eco-tourism.

in collaboration with