Inspiring the World Through Action in Gabon

Balancing the Needs of Nature and Local Communities

“In Gabon, life is built around water,” explains Jean Churley Manfoumbi, manager of TNC’s freshwater and community-based conservation program in Gabon. “The river provides people with water to quench their thirst and food to eat through fishing.” The names of provinces are linked to river systems, the style of hand-carved boat paddles reflects the prevailing currents and character of local rivers, and many Gabonese who have moved to the cities to work or access services still return to their home villages during the dry season, when water levels are low and fishing can be more productive.

Outside of the cities, population centers are smaller and more dispersed. Local communities, which include Gabon’s many Bantu and forest-dwelling ethnic groups, rely directly on healthy ecosystems for food and livelihoods. Yet crops can be damaged by elephants, whose movements are shifting due to climate change and other factors like poaching. Forest allocations and park boundaries can conflict with community lands and local traditions. Hydroelectric projects can disrupt populations of river fish. 

An integral part of successful, long-term conservation is addressing the needs and rights of local communities. Conservation efforts are stronger and more effective when Indigenous Peoples and local communities are included as stewards, knowledge- and rights-holders, and beneficiaries. 

TNC is working with a local NGO partner, Organisation Ecologique des Lacs et de l’Ogooué (OELO), to conduct early initiatives in community-based conservation around Lake Oguemoué and other areas. Together, TNC and OELO are gathering social and ecological data, exploring sustainable economic options for residents—from community forests to fishing cooperatives—and conducting a pilot project in the use of low-tech elephant fencing to protect crops. 

“I believe that nature is the future,” says Rengouwa Maeva, local resident and OELO’s sustainable fishing program coordinator, “because to become self-sufficient, we have to turn to nature.” 

With the right planning, partnership and action, Gabon’s wealth of diverse habitats, wildlife and people will thrive side-by-side. The Nature Conservancy is committed to helping the people of Gabon find this balance.

This article includes excerpts from video interviews conducted by Roshni Lodhia and Mike Pflanz, with logistical support from our Gabon and Africa teams.

PFP Disclosures

TNC is also partnering with the Government of Gabon to develop a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) that would help fund Gabon’s ambitious 30×30 goals. The project is funded in part by the Global Environment Facility. Download the stakeholder engagement plan and the environmental and social management framework here: