Download WWF Gamba technical progress report January

WWF Technical Progress Report
Project Title:
Gamba Programme, Gabon, Central Africa
International Project Number:
GA 0007
Reporting Period:
January – June 2007
This report contains de following sections:
1. General narrative report
2. Project successes during the reporting period
3. Monitoring matrix
4. Annex with update brief on oil exploration in Loango National Park
Bas HUIJBREGTS
Principal Technical Advisor
PART 1: GENERAL NARRATIVE REPORT
1) Global Thematic Programme, Ecoregional Targets or Global Policy Initiatives: Which targets/
milestones does the project contribute to?
Forests, Fresh Water, Marine & Species (see Gamba Project input in: “CARPO Conservation Strategy
and Action Plan 2006-2010”)
Habitats covered by the Gamba Project in the Gamba Complex:
Marine habitats covered:
200 km of coastline along the Gamba Complex, outlets of lagoons and
rivers, mangroves
Freshwater habitats covered:
Forest habitats covered:
Coastal lagoons, lakes and rivers (appr. 150,000 hectares)
Primary dense rainforest, Old growth secondary forest,
Old growth secondary Okoumé or Saccoglottis forest,
Young secondary forest, Young secondary Okoumé or Saccoglottis
forest, Semi-montane forest, Swamp forest with Raphia, Temporarily
inundated swamp forest, Permanently inundated swamp forest.
Papyrus, Low mangrove, High mangrove, Savannah, Savannas and
forest galleries, Coastal vegetation, Swamp
Other habitats covered:
Wildlife attended to:
Flagship species covered:
Other indicator species:
Elephant;
great apes (chimp/gorilla);
(leatherback/green/olive redly), hippopotamus
forest buffalo, leopard and manatee
marine
turtles
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT
Project Location
The Gamba Complex of Protected Areas (1°50 3°10S; 9°15 - 10°50E), hereafter referred to as the
“Complex”, is located in South Western Gabon. Along
with the Conkouati area in Congo-Brazzaville, it is
part of the Gamba-Conkouati Trans-boundary Forest
Landscape selected as one of the eleven critical
landscapes by the Congo Basin Forest Partnership
launched at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development
in
September
2002
(see:
www.cbfp.org).
The current total surface area of the Complex is 1,228,144 hectares, including two of the 13 newly
created National Parks (NP): Loango NP (Decree N°613/PR/MEFEPEPN of August 30, 2002 – 153,581
hectares) in the North-west, and Moukalaba-Doudou NP (Decree N° 616/PR/MEFEPEPN of August 30,
2002 – 502,805 hectares) in the East. In between these two Parks is an intermediate zone of protected
areas totalling 571,758 hectares including the Hunting Reserve of Moukalaba (Arrêté no 1484/MEF/SF-
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
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5225 of November 17, 1962), the Hunting Reserve of
Setté Cama (Arrêté no 01571/SF-CHPP of December
29, 1966), the Faunal Reserve of the Plaine Ouanga
(Arrête no 01571/SF-CHPP of December 29,1966)
and what has not been replaced by the NP in the
Hunting Reserve of Iguéla (Arrêté no 01571/SFCHPP of December 29, 1966), the Hunting Reserve
of Ngové Ndogo (Arrêté no 01571/SF-CHPP of
December 29, 1966), and the Area for the Rational
Fauna Exploitation of Monts Doudou (Decree no
105/PR/MEFR of January 23, 1998). Elevation goes
from sea level along the 200 km of pristine coastline
of the Complex up to 700 meters in the Doudou
Mountains within the Moukalaba-Doudou NP.
The Complex overlaps with village territories and community lands for agriculture, hunting and fishing,
Gamba town and oil exploitation and exploration permits. A large oil export terminal, operated by Shell
Gabon, is located on the coast near Gamba town. Some 30 small villages and settlements with
populations ranging from 15 to 350 people are located within and around the Complex. The main towns
around the Complex are Tchibanga, Mandji, Moabi, Mayumba and Omboué.
History of WWF presence in the area
WWF’s presence in the Gamba area goes back as far as the 1980s and since 1991 it has been working
closely with governmental authorities to manage the Complex. Much of WWF’s initial work focused on
the establishment of baseline information. Biological (both terrestrial and fresh water ecosystems) and
socio-economic assessments throughout the Complex provided the Gabonese government with the
necessary information for the creation, in 1998, of the Monts Doudou reserve within the Complex,
followed by the creation of both Loango and Moukalaba-Doudou NP as part of the newly created
National Park Network. This increased the total area of the Complex with 96,144 hectares to include,
amongst others, formerly unprotected large papyrus swamps to the South of the Nyanga River, which
form an important dry season refuge for large concentration of elephants and buffalos.
WWF also provided support to the construction of the Sette Cama Wildlife Brigade; thereby catalyzing
the subsequent construction by the Government of the Mourindi and Iguela Brigades (three of the six
Wildlife Brigades of Gabon are therefore located in the Gamba Complex). Since 1997, WWF has actively
supported protected areas management authorities. Since the start of the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership, launched at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002, WWF has been landscape leader for the
Gamba-Conkouati trans-boundary forest landscape, one of the eleven priority forest landscapes
selected by the partnership.
During this reporting period, WWF Gamba received financial support from the WWF Network, in
particular WWF Netherlands and the on-line Gamba website: “Safe the Gamba”
(www.panda.org/gabon/gamba), the USAID-funded Central Africa Regional Program for the
Environment (CARPE) contribution to the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), the Alice Wheeler
Foundation, the United Nations Foundation and the French Global Environment Fund-FFEM thru the
Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for their
support to the Gabon National Turtle Partnership.
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Biodiversity Value
The Gamba Complex has long been recognized as a key site for biodiversity conservation. The wildlife
in the region is abundant with high densities of large mammals such as forest elephant (Loxodonta
africana c.) whose population is estimated at 11,000 - 12,000, African forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer
nanus), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), and West African manatee (richechus senegalensis),
Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).
In terms of bird life, Sargeant (1993) has inventoried 380 species in the Gamba region. The most recent
inventory of bird life inhabiting the Gamba Protected Areas Complex lists nearly 500 species (Christy,
pers. comm.). Christy and Goodman (2004) noted 230 species, including 161 typically forest species in
the Monts Doudou Mountain Range, which is also home to little-known birds such as the African green
ibis Bostrychia olivacea, the Bates’ swift Apus batesi, the Angola pitta Pitta angolensis, the forest
swallow Hirundo fuliginosa and notably the grey-necked rockfowl Picathartes oreas. Two hundred bird
species have been inventoried in Loango National Park. They include the loango slender-billed weaver
Ploceus subpersonatus, a known coastal species ranging from Gabon to Angola.
All three species of African crocodiles are found in the Complex. The 200 km long coastline of the
Complex is of global importance as breeding area for several species of marine turtles, including the
leatherback (Demochelys coriacea) and Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), as well as for important
populations of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Other whales species that occur in the
coastal waters of the Complex and the nearby Mayumba Marine NP include Sperm whale (Physeter
macrocephalus and killer whale (Orcinus orca).
The presence of sea turtles in Gabon has first been mentioned by Duméril (1860). In 1984, Fretey first
recorded the existence of nesting sites of Dermochelys coriacea south of Libreville. Since then, the
global importance of Gabonese beaches for the nesting of especially leatherbacks and to a lesser extent
to three other species (Lepidochelys olivacea, Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata) has been
shown on several occasions (Billes & Huijbregts, 2003, Verhage & Moundjim, 2005). WWF Gamba, in
collaboration with an EU-funded Central and Western Africa marine turtle monitoring program ‘Kuddu’
and a local NGO called IBONGA (meaning turtle in the local language), started systematic monitoring on
a 5.75 km nest beach to the West of Gamba town since 2002, combined with irregular visits along the
coastal beaches from Sette Cama down to Mayonami. The beach contains frequently nesting
leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), regular olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) and rarely visiting
green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata). The Ibonga/WWF turtle camp
has become a popular tourism destination for resident Shell-Gabon expatriates, as well as for tourists
coming from afar on their way from Gamba to Loango National Park. We refer to the Gamba website
(www.panda.org/gabon/gamba) for the report of the results of this year’s turtle season (Oct.2006 / April
2007).
The biodiversity value of Moukalaba Doudou NP is of particular significance. The abundance of gorillas
and chimpanzees is thought to increase toward the east of the Complex, and according to spatial
modelling results of Walsh (2002) reaches peak density in the Monts Doudou, which have the highest
recorded density of gorillas in Gabon. Following further joint research between April 2004 and July 2005
by WWF Gamba and the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany,
Moukalaba-Doudou NP is believed to be the second most important site for great apes in the world.
Preliminary results suggest an average gorilla density in Moukalaba-Doudou of 1.13 individuals/ km².
Projected to the entire park (4155km², excluding the Nyanga marshes) this adds up to 4690 individuals
(confidence intervals 1168-18826 ind.) (Kuehl et. al. under press).
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Moukalaba-Doudou NP also holds one of the last severely threatened protected waterbuck (Kobus
ellipsiprymnus) population in Gabon. Recent inventories of Smithsonian Institution recorded 70 species
of amphibians in the Park, compared to 31 in Loango NP. Amongst the Moukalaba-Doudou species,
several are new to science. The Park has the highest known amphibian diversity in Western and Central
Africa (Pauwels, et al., 2004). The same research inventoried 42 species of reptiles, including at least
one new species, in Moukalaba Doudou NP, compared to 36 species in Loango NP.
Fifty-four species of amphibians have been found in the Monts Doudou Mountain Range – a relatively
high abundance of species for an African site. They include 6 species new to Gabon; the Hemisus and
Kassina genera were also previously unrecorded at this site (Burger et al., 2004). Sixty-six species of
amphibians have been found in the Gamba Complex as a whole (Burger et al., 2006).
Ecological Value
The Gamba Complex contains a rich and diverse succession of habitats. Coastal habitats include
beaches, and the large Iguela and Ndougou lagoons, mangroves and littoral thickets, coastal forests and
savannas. On moving inland, the coast gives way to lowland swamp forests, equatorial rainforest and,
in the Monts Doudou, semi-montane forests. The dry-land forests are interspersed with large stretches
of mixed swamp-forests and woodland patches in savannas. Grasslands are widespread both along the
coast, where they include extensive seasonally flooded savannas and herbaceous swamps. Moukalaba
NP partially sits on Kalahari sands of the Bateke Plateau and contains tall grass savannas and wooded
grasslands to the north and east.
The relief formations of the Gamba Complex date from the quaternary. Along the coast at the Milango
point within the Loango NP, erosive action of the ocean has exposed several fossils such as ammonites
and fish. The Complex comprises the two principal soil types found in Gabon: sediment soils along the
coast coming from the Congo, Nyanga and other rivers in the region, and ferruginous soils on a
crystalline platform. The Monts Doudou mountains, a former Pleistocene rain forest refuge with altitudes
between 300 and 700 meters, are a still poorly know (only 2500 specimens collected and held in
herbaria) floristic biodiversity hotspot, with 11 % of the total species endemic to the area (Sosef et al. in
press).
Socio-economic context
The Gamba Complex has a total population of 9,500 inhabitants and Gamba town is home to 7,200 of
them (75%). Gamba grew up around the Shell Gabon oil production facilities attracting both Gabonese
and foreign populations. One out of 4 urban household heads is directly employed by the oil companies
or their contractors. The indigenous village population (2,300 inhabitants, 0,2 inhab./km2), has been
deeply affected by the rural exodus, as in the rest of Gabon. Villages are mainly concentrated in three
areas with little communication between them: the Iguela sector to the west, the Mourindi sector to the
east and a central sector comprising the Ndougou lagoon, Gamba and Mayonami.
Gamba town developed near Shell Gabon oil facilities in an area where, in the early 1960s, only about
ten people lived within a 10km radius. To develop the Gamba-Ivinga concession (1965-1974), Shell
Gabon recruited several hundred workers in the surrounding areas and in the rest of Gabon. The policy
at that period was to lodge workers in close proximity with the oil facilities. A decade later Shell
developed the Rabi Kounga concession. The development of the site between 1987 and 1998 was the
second biggest construction project ever undertaken in Gabon after the Transgabonais railway line.
Personnel management was based on the “offshore” approach with onsite housing provided for
personnel only. As a result Gamba had to house a new population of workers’ families and
administrative staff.
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The ethnical groups of the coastal basin going from the Rembo Bongo River to the Atlantic Ocean
belong to the linguistic group of the Punu, originally from neighbouring Congo. These are the Vili, the
Lumbu and the Ngové. Those living in around the water catchments of the Moukalaba-Doudou and
Nyanga rivers are called Punu, Varama and Vungu, belonging to the Eshira group (Raponda-Walker et
Sillans, 1995) and also originate from Congo (Aleko and Puech, 1988.). However, the Ngové living
around Iguela (Northern periphery of Loango National Park) presently speak Nkomi, a Myéné language.
Ethical groups are formed around autonomous subdivisions called clans or tribes. Clan membership is
manifested through the occupation of a common territory as well as through the respects of common
traditions. Clan membership is inherited via a matriarchal system within the coastal tribes, and
patriarchal in some tribes in the interior.
The village populations, as well as a large number of Gamba residents, are involved in traditional
subsistence activities in the three zones described above. Women tend the crops (manioc, banana, and
yam).Total cultivated area per inhabitant ranges between 2,000 to 3,500 m². Hunting and fishing provide
a sizeable proportion of animal protein intake, especially in villages. Animal husbandry is virtually nonexistent. These activities, which are essential to the survival of the populations, are tolerated in the
Gamba Complex although prohibited in protected areas by the Forestry Code.
Importance of Oil and Gas
Although the presence of oil in Gabon was known as early as 1928, the industry properly started in
1957. The oil sector expanded rapidly in the late 1960s and 1970s due to the discovery of the
Gamba/Ivinga field, then the largest in Gabon, located in the Sette Cama Hunting Domain within the
Gamba Complex, and offshore fields near Port Gentil. Shell began exploration work in the Gamba
Complex of Protected Areas in 1960 under the name of “Companie Shell de Recherches et
d’Exploitation au Gabon” (COSREG). In August 1963, COSREG discovered oil in a coastal concession
near Gamba. This find was followed by a further discovery associated with the same reservoir in Ivinga.
The Gamba-Ivinga oil field produced 50,000 barrels/day (b/d) in the seventies and dropped to 7,000 b/d
in 2001. By mid 1980s, Gabon’s known reserves had declined and production had fallen to 150,000 b/d.
The economic effect of this drop in production was exacerbated by a fall in the oil price. For Gabon the
discovery of the Rabi field in the heart of the Gamba Complex in 1985 therefore came at a crucial time
as it increased Gabon’s known reserves by 77 percent and reversed the downward trend. Rabi at the
time the biggest sub-saharan onshore oil field came on stream in 1987. Production levels reached
240,000 b/d in 1997 (60% of Gabonese crude oil production). Combined daily production levels of all
fields operated by Shell-Gabon are currently estimated at 70,000 barrels.
Other on-shore oil fields under production within the Gamba Complex include Atora (Total-Gabon),
which has been on stream since 2001 ((15,000 b/d) Echira, Moukouti and Niango (Perenco). The gas
reserves of Bende (Shell) supply the turbines of Shell and SEEG power stations in Gamba. Oil and gas
exploration permits currently active within the Gamba Complex include Lotus (Sinopec), Eketamba
(Transworld) and Nziembou-Dhighe (Perenco). Several other companies are present in the protected
areas of the Gamba Complex, who either operate fields themselves or through joint ventures such as
Amerada Hess, Transworld, Energy Africa, Marathon, PanAfrican Energy, and Sinopec.
The crude oil is transferred by pipeline to the Gamba and Cap Lopez terminals.
Shell-Gabon and Total-Gabon have shown important efforts to contribute to natural resources
management and to limit their environmental footprint. For example, Shell-Gabon is not only ISO-14001
certified, but also currently is developing it’s Biodiversity Action Plan with scientific support from
Smithsonian Institution. With help from WWF, it also developed its Shell-Gabon Bushmeat Action Plan.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
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Finally, Shell also works with local and central government, universities, UNEP and WWF on the
development of an after oil development strategy for the region (see below).
Serious concerns exist regarding environmental standards of those smaller companies, as well as the
arrival of potential new players with less environmental standards such as the Chinese governmentowned Sinopec (see section Problems & Constraints and a joint WCS/WWF update briefing note on
Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon dated May 21, 2007 in Annex 1).
Although new discoveries were made recently, Shell Gabon will, in the short- to mid-term be confronted
with the decline in oil reserves and is in the process of winding down its operations in Gamba. The
departure of Shell Gabon will have disastrous consequences on the socio-economic fabric of Gamba
and central areas of the Gamba Complex. The withdrawal of Shell and that of its contractors will cause
huge job losses and bring about the collapse of the local economy. Faced with a serious decline in fiscal
revenues and logistic support the local authorities will have great difficulty maintaining present levels of
amenities. Living conditions will deteriorate rapidly as will social cohesion. A sizeable proportion of the
population - notably foreigners - affirms they will leave the city once Shell’s departure is confirmed. It is
to be feared that city dwellers from the region will compensate the decline in income by a more intense
exploitation of natural resources (agriculture, fishing and poaching).
Therefore, and in order to assist in the preparation of the “After Oil Era” for the Gamba region, ShellGabon and Shell-Foundation initiated the “After Oil Development Support Programme for the Ndougou
Department”, which aims, through a participatory process involving local opinion leaders and other
stakeholders, at catalyzing a development vision for the area up to 2015 while simultaneously supporting
the creation of small enterprises. This support program is run through a Steering Committee, within
which WWF membership focuses on biodiversity and environmental impact issues related to
development vision and associated future development initiatives.
Conservation Value
Elephant and ape hunting is illegal in Gabon, however poaching for meat and ivory is next to habitat loss
the greatest threat that these species face. For apes, the added threat from Ebola, which has wiped out
almost entire populations of gorillas and chimpanzees in northern Gabon, is a serious concern
throughout not just Gabon, but all of Central Africa. The ability to protect forest elephants, gorillas, and
chimpanzees inside Gabon’s new National Parks and their peripheral zones is the only hope these
species have of a long-term future.
With more than 1,200,000 hectares, the Gamba Complex is more than twice as large as the second
largest protected area in Gabon (Minkebe NP). Due to its wide variety of vegetation types and floristic
species richness, the Gamba Complex offers yearlong food availability of key indicators species such as
primates and elephants. The distribution of the elephant population, assumed to be contiguous within
the Complex, shows a distinct pattern of seasonal movement, forming high concentrations in lowland
swamps and coastal areas during the dry season, and dispersing out into upland terra firma forests in
the wet season. This is most likely due to high food availability and easy access into the swamps during
the dry season, and an abundance of fruit in upland forests in the wet season. Recent research based
on telemetry data from 6 GPS collared female elephants in Loango NP has revealed that elephants can
exist in small home ranges in this coastal forest-savannah mosaic for extended periods (Blake, pers.
comm.). The Complex, with its large surface area combined with high diversity of habitats, therefore
offers a unique opportunity for long-term survival of even wide-ranging species such as forest elephants.
Long-term survival of great apes is also likely to be greater in the Complex than anywhere else since it is
further from the centres of known Ebola outbreaks than any other large protected area in Gabon, and,
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
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unlike in the rest of the country, there are no reports of obvious health problems in gorilla and
chimpanzee populations.
Tourism Value
Due to above mentioned exceptional values and attractions, as well as relatively good accessibility in
comparison to other National Parks in Gabon, tourism is a growing industry in the Complex, and in
particular in Loango National Park. Several new operations started in the last couple of years. Four
ground operators currently run lodges around Loango NP; (1) Société de Conservation et de
Développement (SCD), working under the name of “Opération Loango” see http://www.operationloango.com, (2) Ngavilo, in the northern parts of the Park, and (3) Sette Cama Safaris, see
http://www.settecama.net, and (4) Africa Tours (formerly “Gamba Vacances”) in the south. Since
November 2006, WWF has been working with Taresika group to prepare the installation of tourism
infrastructure in Mouakaba-Doudou National Park (www.taresika.com). For progress on tourism
development in the Gamba Complex over the past 6 months, see section Tourism Development below.
Up to September 2006, the European Union has been funding a community-based ecotourism
development project in the Gamba Complex, the “Programme Sectoriel de Valorisation des Aires
Protégées” (PSVAP), which established a partnership with local authorities (Conseil Départemental du
Département de Ndougou) and the village of Sette Cama to run the village guesthouse.
The WWF supported local NGO IBONGA-ACPE (www.ibonga.org), in partnership with management
authorities of Loango National Park, have set up a tourism visitors centre at the southern entry of
Loango NP.
In this land of the surfing hippo, it is evident that this sector still has considerable growth potential in the
region. Also, currently, due to absence of a regulatory and legal framework, very little income from
tourism flows back to either park management or local communities.
Direct and Indirect threats
Immediate Threats
The immediate threats to the Complex’ biodiversity include:
 Increased pressures from illegal hunting. About 7,500 people reside in Gamba town, and although
their presence is mostly linked to the oil industry, their purchasing power has significantly increased
demand for bush meat consumption. In addition, commercial bush meat hunting is a major problem
in several parts of Complex, due to relatively close proximity of, and easy access to, the large bush
meat markets of Port Gentil, Omboue and Mandji to the North of the Complex, Gamba town, and
Tchibanga to the South-east.
 Unsustainable logging operations. Unsustainable logging operations are taking place throughout the
landscape, with accidental illegal logging within the limits of the Complex, as well as occasional
illegal trans-border logging in the landscape
 Illegal in-shore and offshore fishing. Illegal and unsustainable offshore commercial fishing by a
growing national and international fishing fleet and the lack of Government capacity and techniques
to monitor these activities is a major threat throughout the landscape. Unsustainable inland fishing
by, mainly, illegal foreign fishermen is a major concern in the fresh water systems of the Complex.
 Lack of clear management systems and of human, technical and financial resources. The
management authority in the Complex is currently the Ministry of Forest, but a presidential Decree
has also created a National Park Council (“Conseil National des Parcs Nationaux”) responsible for
supervising the development of the new National Park Network. It is hoped that during the last
quarter of 2007, a Law on National Parks will be adopted and a para-statal entity responsible for
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
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

management of the national parks network created. Today, within the Complex, three
“conservateurs” (wardens) have been appointed, 2 of which are based in Loango NP, 1 in
Moukalaba-Doudou NP but Park, Wildlife and Fisheries authorities are confronted with a serious lack
of human, technical and financial resources, with under-equipped and ill-maintained infrastructures,
offices, vehicles and boats. Roles and responsibilities need to be clarified, especially in the
intermediate protected zone between the two Parks, as well as regarding interventions in the larger
landscape outside the PAs, and the continuity over the various steps of law enforcement is weak.
Park staff must be designated, trained and equipped. A GEF/WB-Gabon program is hoped to start at
the end of 2007, which would provide direct support to Park and Wildlife authorities in the Gamba
Complex as well as in Mayumba Marine NP (see section “significant partnerships” below).
Oil exploration by Chinese oil company in Loango National Park. On September 13, 2005, an oil
exploration contract for the LT 2000 bloc, covering the totality of Loango National Park, was signed
between the Government of Gabon and a Chinese oil company called SINOPEC Overseas Oil and
Gas Limited. The contract obliges Sinopec, amongst other, to conduct at least 500 km of seismic D2
transects, 100km of D3 seismic transects, as well as to drill at least 2 exploration wells. We refer to
section “Constraints” and Annex 1 for more information on the current status of operations of
Sinopec in the Park.
Lack of legal framework for national parks and resulting absence of tourism management, zoning
and visitor management plans. As reported in the previous progress reports (Jan/June 2006 and
July/December 2006), we are still waiting for the adoption of the Law on National Parks, and the
subsequent creation of a para-statal management authority of the national parks network. In the
meantime, no legal framework exists to finalize management plans and tourism development plans
for the individual parks. Interior regulations for tourism operation in the Parks have not yet been
developed. This results in a lack of clarity and confusion amongst operators, park management,
local populations and conservation partners regarding, amongst others:
 tourism zoning,
 level and management of park entry & guiding fees,
 conditions for construction, ownership rights and use of light tourism infrastructures in the
Park,
 tourism planning (carrying capacity, reservations, product development),
Long-term Threats
On-shore oil production is in decline, whereas offshore oil exploitation and exploration activities in the
landscape increase. Key threats linked to the decrease of oil exploitation in the Gamba Complex, in
particular by the current major operator, Shell, include the risk that:
 lower environmental standards would be applied by smaller or less environmental sensitive
operators (i.e. Sinopec), with the correlated increased risks for spills;
 the lack of economic opportunities “after oil” would compel many of the residents to turn to
unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.
It is therefore critical that oil companies are closely involved in the planning and development of zoning
and management plans for the protected areas, as part of their downsizing or exit strategy. Discussions
are also underway to design scenarios for “after-Shell” accessibility to the Gamba area by road. One
potential option still on the table is to build a road linking Gamba to Tchibanga cutting through
Moukalaba Doudou NP. Another would be to build a road from Gamba to the North of the Complex,
through the protected intermediate zones.
Main actors and stakeholders
Both at the national and the international levels, the Complex is seen as a showpiece of Gabon’s
potential for nature conservation, tourism development, research and socio-economic development
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opportunities linked to biodiversity. This has resulted in the presence of a wide range of stakeholders
with various objectives and expertise in conservation-related initiatives, and with whom WWF has
developed several thematic working relations. Those players include, in particular:
 Started in 2001, the Smithsonian Institution (SI)/Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program
(SIMAB) that is implementing in the Complex, with support from Shell, a Gabon Biodiversity Program
to increase the knowledge of the country’s biodiversity through research, build national capacity for
continued biodiversity work and advance conservation and sustainable development through
partnerships among local stakeholders, scientists and industry. WWF and SI both work to support
implementation by Ibonga of outreach and tourism promotion activities.
 Shell Gabon is providing support to the Gabon Biodiversity Program and the After Oil Development
Support Program (the later in collaboration with Shell Foundation). WWF and Shell current working
agenda includes the implementation of the Shell Gabon bush meat action plan and the
implementation of the After Oil development project.
 The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). WWF and WCS are closely working together in
connection with the Congo Basin forest Partnership and the Central Africa World Forest Heritage
Initiative.
 Local groups, in particular the environmental education Association pour la Connaissance et la
Protection de l’Environnement - Ibonga and the community-based organization of local fishermen,
the Association des Pêcheurs Artisanaux du Département de Ndougou – APDN.
 In the tourism sector: Taresika, Sette Cama Safaris, Africa Tours Operator, SCD, etc.
 In the scientific national and international community: CENAREST, University Omar Bongo, Max
Planck, Kyoto University, PROTOMAC, KUDDU, University of Wageningen and the National
Herbarium.
Significant institutions, partnerships and programmes of work
This section describes major partnerships and cooperation agreements between WWF-Gamba, the
Government of Gabon and other partners.
Apart from its technical assistance work to Park and Wildlife authorities in the 12,000 km² vast Gamba
Complex, WWF Gamba is also landscape lead for the Gamba-Conkouati transborder Forest Landscape
within the framework of the USAID funded Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment
(CARPE/CBFP) and Unesco’s World Heritage Centre sponsored Central Africa World Forest Heritage
initiative (CAWFHI). This entails that WWF Gamba has the contractual obligation to coordinate technical
progress in the field by programmes beneficiaries, as well as to coordinate technical progress reporting
to the donor. The overall long term objective of CARPE/CBFP is to arrive at an overall land-use plan for
this trans-boundary landscape, whereas CAWFHI also aims for nomination on the Natural World
Heritage list of key areas within this landscape.
CARPE/CBFP partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
The first phase of the CARPE/CBFP programme started in October 1, 2004, for a total initial period of 3
years which ended on September 30, 2006, with a total 3 year budget WWF-US allocation for WWFGamba amounting to US$ 1,390,000. A second 5 year grant was approuved bu USAID and started in
October 2006, with a total 5-year budget for WWF-US of US$ 3,800,000. The consortium for the GambaConkouati Landscape is composed of the right mix of NGOs expertise necessary to address this
landscape’s conservation and natural resource management challenges. Consortium members are
WWF, who serves as Consortium Lead, and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who serves as
member in Gabon and the component coordinator for the Republic of Congo. WWF’s role includes: 1)
overseeing and facilitating planning processes; 2) working with WCS and other partners to guide the
development of the Landscape plan; 3) supporting protected area, logging and oil concession and
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
9
community area management, including institutional strengthening of partners; 4) collecting baseline
biological information across the landscape; 5) coordinating landscape database development and
assuring linkages to CBFP initiatives such as the annual State of the Congo Basin Forests report (SOF).
WCS’s role includes: 1) overseeing implementation in the Republic of Congo component which includes
land-use planning; protected area management, working with oil and logging companies to development
wildlife management plans, ecotourism development, community based management of natural
resources, and monitoring for adaptive management 2) supporting protected area management in
Gabon 2) collecting baseline biological information in the landscape.
Partnership with logging industry: Société “Compagnie des Bois du Gabon » (CBG)
CBG is active in the northern periphery of the Gamba Complex and has a “Sustainable Forestry
Management Concession” (Concession Forestière sous Aménagement Durable-CFAD) of 350,000ha.
The management plan for their concession area has been endorsed by the Government in December
2004. Hunting pressure in the area is heavy, with bushmeat being evacuated to Port Gentil and
Libreville. Following discussions between CNPN, local MINEF staff, WWF and CBG management, it was
agreed in early 2006 that WWF would assist the company with the development and implementation of
its Wildlife Management Plan, within the framework of their overall management plan.
CBG is also preparing for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, and underwent successful preaudits in 2006 and 2007.
CBG also has a CFAD of 180,000ha to the south of the Gamba Complex, which it will start to exploit
between 2008 and 2010. Thus, with a total area surface of 540,000ha of forest concession under
sustainable forest management in the heart of the Gabon segment of the Gamba-Conkouati landscape,
this landscape has a huge opportunity to reconcile forest conservation and sustainable exploitation over
an area half the size of the Netherlands.
Currently, WWF and CBG have finalized a collaboration agreement, which is currently being studied by
the Government for its signature in August 2007. This has set the stage for WWF involvement in the
concession area within the framework of the funding to WWF from the Fonds Français pour
l'Environnement
Mondial
(FFEM) in support of the Central
Africa World Heritage Forest
Initiative (CAWHFI). The FFEM
component of CAWHFI was
adopted by the FFEM Council in
November 2005 and started in
March 2006 for a period of 3
years, with a total 3 YR budget
for WWF-Gamba of Euro
242,000. First activities under
this project have started, and
WWF Gamba just opened a
new field office to serve its New WWF field office in the town of Mandji in the framework of the collaboration
with CBG (photo: WWF Gamba, May 2007)
goals in the local town of Mandji.
Partnership with oil and gas industry: Shell-Gabon
The purpose of WWF-Gamba relation with Shell-Gabon is to strengthen understanding of respective
interests and optimize synergies for improved conservation and sustainable management of natural
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
10
resources in the Gamba Complex. The current working agenda is focussed around two major themes;
the Shell Gabon Bushmeat Action Plan, and the Shell Sustainable Livelihoods Program within the
framework of Shell Gabon exit strategy.
The Bushmeat Policy, which implementation gradually started as of May 2004 and following a proposal
of WWF, affirms Shells Zero Tolerance for bushmeat trade, bushmeat consumption in its restaurants,
and bushmeat transport in its vehicles and on flights in and out Gamba airport.
The purpose of Shell’s Sustainable Livelihoods Program is to identify and implement a diversity of
income generating initiatives that enhance the sustainable livelihoods of people living in and around
Gamba town while assuring the long term management and protection of biodiversity in the Gamba
Complex. Its objectives are to;
 Build scenarios for the Gamba region that consider alternative “after-oil” futures, by assisting
local stakeholders to consider regional development needs as well as by stimulating new
development opportunities,
 Provide appropriate training skills and support to local people so as to maximize opportunities
for non-oil related employment in Gamba,
 Promote local economic diversification through business development and micro-finance
support targeting the start-up or growth of non-oil related small-enterprises in ways consistent
with the strategic management framework for the Gamba Complex of protected areas, and to,
 Support improved long term biodiversity protection and sustainable use of natural resources in
the Gamba Complex.
In October 2004, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to set up a Steering Committee
responsible for supervising the implementation of this program, and including Shell Gabon, Shell
Foundation, WWF Gamba, le Fonds d’Expansion et de Développement des petites et moyennes
Entreprises, Omar Bongo Ondimba University, National Empoyment Office, The After Oil Reflection
Committee (local NGO), and the Municipality of Gamba Town. WWF’s role in the steering committee of
this programme is to provide technical support on all issues related to biodiversity conservation arising in
the course of the program’s implementation. During this reporting period, membership of the Steering
committee was extended to include UNPD and the Ministries of Planning and Oil.
Coordinated management planning for the Gamba Complex and the Gamba Conkouati Forest
Landscape
Following the creation in 2002 of the two National Parks within the limits of the existing configuration of
eight protected areas within the Gamba Complex, three Park Wardens (Conservateurs) were appointed
to Loango and Moukalaba-Doudou National Parks. This resulted in a more complex management
configuration than before. Thereto, WWF initiated a series of consultations with CNPN, MINEF and other
conservation partners to create a Technical Management Committee (CTG) and an Executive
Committee (CE) for the Gamba Complex and proposed the terms of reference and composition of both
committees. This coordination structure was endorsed by CNPN in December 2004. Since then, the
CTG catalyzes the implementation of coordinated work of all parties active in the Gamba Complex.
Pending finalization of the Management Plans for the national parks as well as the finalization of the
restructuring process of the management authority in charge of National Parks, the members of the CTG
are the 3 Conservateurs, the Head of Gamba Fisheries Brigade, WWF Project Manager and one other
representative, WCS Project Manager, SI Project Manager, a Representative of Shell-Gabon, a
representative of local government, and two representatives of local NGOs. Since its creation, the CTG
meets bi-annually, whereas its Executive Committee meets on a quarterly basis on a rotational basis in
Gamba, Tchibanga and Omboué. The latter is composed of the three (3) Conservateurs of the Gamba
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
11
Complex, the Principal Technical Advisor of WWF-Gamba, the Project leader of WCS-Iguela and the
Project leader of Smithsonian Institution in Gamba.
Since July 2005, the CTG has been enlarged to include all conservation partners in the Gabon segment
of the Gamba-Conkouati Forest Landscape: the Conservateur of Mayumba National Park, the Project
leader of WCS-Mayumba, and the Head of the Provincial Inspection of MINEF in the Nyanga Province.
Also, since September 2005, three (4) cross-border landscape meetings have been organized with
government and NGO participants of all protected areas within the landscape, as well as representatives
of the Ministry of Water and Forests. The most recent landscape meeting took place in March 2007 in
the margin of the annual steering committee meeting of the CAWFHI initiative in Libreville, Gabon.
During the meeting, update versions of proposed draft action plans were discussed to address cross
border threats to the landscape (illegal coastal trawling, off-shore oil pollution, marine & turtle research
and protection, and illegal cross-border logging and poaching), as well as a draft Landscape agreement,
prepared by WWF.
Other partnerships
WWF also works with;
 the local environmental education NGO Ibonga regarding environmental education, outreach,
handicraft development, turtle work and the creation of a Loango National Park Visitor’s Centre
and tourism guiding service,
 a local tourism lodge located to the south of Loango National Park called Sette Cama Safaris
regarding joint use of their generator between their lodge and the Sette Cama Wildlife Brigade,
 MaxPlanck Institute in Leipzig regarding great ape inventories and ecological monitoring,
 The National Forestry School (Ecole National des Eaux et Forêts – ENEF), regarding financial
and scientific support to field work and theses of their students,
 Local and national written press, radio and television.
Upcoming GEF/WB’s support to Gabon’s Forest and Environment Sector Program (PSFE)
The PSFE is piloted by the Gabonese Ministry of Forestry and Environment and builds on work already
done by national working groups on forests, biodiversity, environment and tourism. The long term
objective of the PSFE program is to help the country move away from oil dependency and to diversify
the national economy on the basis of sustainable management of forests, fisheries and biodiversity
resources. The objectives are of an economic, environmental and social nature and are articulated
around 5 components: (i) Sustainable forest management, timber industry and community forestry, (ii)
Biodiversity, national parks, and wildlife management, (iii) Fisheries and coastal zone management, (iv)
Environmental goods and services and (v) Institutional strengthening, research and training.
The GEF/WB project will support PSFE component (ii). The objective statement is; “Biodiversity is
protected and managed in a sustainable way and contributes to the diversification of the national
economy, through strengthened capacities of parks and wildlife authorities”. By working in national parks
and surrounding buffer zones and production landscapes the GEF intervention will adopt an integrated
approach to biodiversity conservation. Implementation of concrete on-the-ground activities will
strengthen organizational and operational capacities of national parks and wildlife authorities (the ANPN
and the Ministry of Forests - MEFPEPN).
The project Appraisal Document on a grant from the GEF in the amount of US$10.0 million to the
Republic of Gabon for the five-year project “Strengthening Capacity for Management National Parks and
Biodiversity” was signed on March 6, 2006.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
12
The PRODOC document was mainly written by an international consultant with long-term expertise in
Gabon and Central Africa (Conrad Aveling). WWF Gabon (Brigitte Car-Dirick and Bas Huijbregts) have
provided significant input to the document, resulting in important support by GEF to one of the 2 main
WWF intervention sites in Gabon, the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas through component 3 of the
grant: “Support to Selected National Parks”. The estimated cost of that component is US$ 8.87million,
the Government’s estimated contribution is US$1.4, the external partners’ estimated contributions is
US$ 2.25 and GEF contribution is US$ 5.22 million. As indicated in the Appraisal Document attached, it
is expected that the Government of Gabon will sub-contract WWF for about US$ 1.65 under this
Component.
Implementation of the GEF grant is subject to several conditions including the adoption of the
abovementioned draft Law on National Parks and the appointment of key managers for the future
National Parks Agency.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
13
PART II: PROJECT SUCCESSES DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD
Flagship Species successes
(1) Marine Turtles
Since 2002 WWF has been training local staff to monitor marine turtle activities on the beach in the
South West of Gabon, together with the local NGO Ibonga (www.ibonga.org). For the fifth consecutive
season, a part of the world’s largest leatherback nesting population is being closely monitored to unravel
the mostly still unknown population dynamics, foraging behaviour, nest ecology and threats by a six
man strong team every night during the six months nesting period (October-March). Though olive ridleys
are also present and even green turtles and hawksbills are recorded occasionally, the main focus of this
programme is on leatherbacks because of their predominant presence in the area. The main objective
of our Marine Turtle Programme is to conserve marine turtles by assisting the Government of Gabon in
developing capacity to effectively manage the parks and reserves in the Gamba Complex by protection,
monitoring, scientific research, building capacity and awareness raising.
Methodology
The Monitoring Programme is executed on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. The daily monitored zone
is 5,75 km of beach near Gamba. 75 km of beach to the north and south of the daily monitored zone, is
monitored on a weekly basis by quad. During the 2005/2006 and the 2006/2007 (last) season, the whole
Gabonese coastline is monitored by plane every month between November and March in cooperation
with all the partners of the “Marine Turtle Partnership of Gabon (see MTU 2)”. Thanks to increased
funding from USFWS Marine Turtle Act for the Marine Turtle Partnership for this season (2006-2007),
not only the aerial surveys, but also joint awareness raising material and capacity building to create a
Variations annuelles
state owned national database were integrated in the Partnership’s
budget.de la population de tortues marines par
espèces (Site Gamba 2002 à 2007)
1000
Effectifs
800
851
576
553
600
400
200
0
206
71
128
51
50
80
63
2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007
Saisons
Dermochelys coriacea
Nesting numbers in Suriname from M. Hliterman and E.
Goverse (2004)
Lepidochelys olivacea
Numbers of leatherbacks and olive ridleys from 2002-2007
in Gamba, Gabon (WWF, 2007)
Monitoring
Monitoring results show that leatherback nesting numbers are varying every year. Five years of
monitoring effort is too short to be able to predict any population trends. In comparison, in Suriname
long term data collection shows that the nesting population changes in numbers every year, but an
upward trend can be confirmed after 37 years. A continuous monitoring programme is therefore of
utmost importance in Gabon to confirm any conservation success or to suggest different protection
approach.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
14
Aerial surveys
Field presence of turtle conservation partners on four different sites in Gabon, i.e. Pongara, Iguela,
Gamba and Mayumba, covers about 20% of the total Gabonese coastline of 800 km. The different
teams record annual fluctuations on each site, but to confirm whether these are due to in-country
migration or country or region wide fluctuations, a larger stretch of coastline needs to be monitored. The
same goes for population estimates, as nest densities vary along the coast, data from the different field
sites can not simply be extrapolated for the entire Gabonese coast to calculate the marine turtle nesting
population for Gabon. Aerial surveys are therefore an important tool for marine turtle conservation, not
only to observe change in marine turtle nesting patterns and to estimate the nesting population on 800
km of coast but even so to collect data on pollution (oil and tree trunks), habitat change and trawler
fishing. In the 2005-2006 nesting season three aerial surveys have been executed per (peak) season
with an average interval of one month. During the 06-07 season, three nation-wide aerial surveys have
also been executed using the same protocol, in cooperation with Claude Caillet, a French forester, as
our pilot in his Chesna aircraft.
Profound data analysis is still in process by Matthew Witt at the University of Exeter, but first results
show higher densities of leatherback nests during the 06-07 season compared to the 05-06 season
(table and graph below). The total number of nests counted during the last season has doubled
compared to the 05-06 season. Beach survey data from the Gamba beach does not confirm this same
trend (see graph above), meaning that the three days the aerial surveys were conducted are not fully
representative for the overall seasonal nest densities for the entire coastline. Though other beach sites
will probably confirm the trend the aerial surveys indicate.
The distribution of leatherback nests along the Gabonese coast is mostly concentrated in the four sites
were field teams are present including an area south of Port Gentil. The maps below also show that
distribution patterns don’t change significantly through the season.
For the entire season a total of 84,000 nets can be estimated. Considering an average of 5 nests per
season per female we can consider that 16,800 individual female leatherbacks have used the
Gabonese coast as nesting habitat during the last nesting season, stretching from November 2006 till
March 2007.
These figures confirm that Gabon receives the largest leatherback population in the world.
For comparison, Hilterman and Goverse (2002) estimated 30,000 nests in Suriname in 2001, 15,000 in
French Guyana, and a total of approximately 50,000 in Suriname, French Guyana and Guyana
combined (Angela Formia, 2005). Even when using the same calculations for the 05-06 season a total
of 43,000 nests, resulting in 8,600 female leatherbacks are estimated. This is still the largest nesting
population recorded within the borders of one nation.
Season
05-06
December 638
310
January
February
Total
Season
06-07
594
949
118
584
1066
2127
Graph and Table 1. Number of
leatherback nest per flight for the
05-06 & 06-07 season.
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
season 06-07
season 05-06
December
January
February
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
15
Distribution of leatherback nests during the 05-06 season per aerial survey (taux de rencontre=encounter rate)
Distribution of leatherback nests during the 06-07 season per aerial survey (taux de rencontre=encounter rate)
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
16
Threats
Human activities in the Gamba Complex mostly concern egg poaching, as well as pollution of the beach
with trash, light and oil. Thanks to long term field presence (since 1985) of the MEF (Ministry of Forest
Economy), WWF and since 1999 also Ibonga, human activities are not at a level that endangers the
survival of marine turtles in Gamba today. However important numbers of dead turtles are found every
year on the beaches in the south of Gabon between September and October. This might be caused by
a combination of several still very little monitored marine threats (i.e. fisheries, pollution). The greatest
threat to the eggs and the hatchlings on the beach are natural threats; erosion, inundation, destructive
roots and predation. The common predators are ghost crabs, monitor lizards and civet cats (Livingstone,
20071). The hatchery has showed its effectiveness to protect the eggs from these threats and served at
the same time as a tool to raise awareness amongst school children and tourists. The nest
temperatures were higher in the nests in the hatchery than on the beach which led to shorter incubation
periods. The temperature was not so high as to cause an impediment for development of the eggs, as
the hatching success was comparable.
Migration
To get an insight in intra and inter-seasonal
migration, external (Monel) tags and transponder
(PIT) have shown that leatherbacks covered at
least 100 km during intra-seasonal migrations and
that inter-seasonal migrations covered the whole
Atlantic basin. The latter was proved by the capture
of a leatherback near the coast of Argentina in
2005 tagged in Gamba in 2003 (Billes et al. 2006).
Furthermore WWF-LAC initiated the Trans Atlantic
Migration Programme which is now entering his
second year with two of the three satellite
transmitters deployed on nesting leatherbacks in Gabon still operational and showing the extraordinary
migration of the heaviest reptiles in the world. The two leatherbacks have travelled towards the coast of
Brazil and seem to be on their way back to Gabon now, after only one year. See:
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/latin_america_and_caribbean/our_solutions/marine_t
urtle_programme/leatherback_tracking_project/tracking_logs/index.cfm
Thanks to funding of the European Union through RAPAC (Réseau des Aires Protégées d‘Afrique
Central), the Dutch Cooperation through CAFPAP (Central African Forest and Poverty Alleviation
Programme), the Dutch committee of IUCN and the United Nations Foundation through CAWFHI
(Central African World Forest Heritage Initiative) WWF and Ibonga continue to work towards long term
marine turtle monitoring to protect locally, to contribute nationally and to safe globally.
1
R. Livingstone, 2007. Threats to leatherback and olive ridly nests in the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas, Gabon, with a focus on crab predation.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
17
(4) General ecological monitoring with emphasis on flag ship species
At the start of FY06, WWF, WWF, in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the
Department of Primatology of the German Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, finalized
an innovative ecological monitoring protocol for Loango National Park (153,581 hectares). This
innovative research methodology was adopted from the successfully tested great ape inventories
research framework done in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park mentioned above. This monitoring
protocol does not only serve to map the abundance and distribution of the key wildlife species, but also
monitors human activities and their impact.
Six (6) more missions have been organized by WWF during the reporting period in the North of the
Loango National park to help WCS to finish this larger part of the Park to be fully monitored, especially
to serve as baseline data to measure the impact of the exploration activities of the oil company
Synopec, who started the first activities in the park in July 2007.
Example of data analysis of the Loango NP data set: Elephant dung piles per km² (WWF, 2007)
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
18
PROGRESS ON OTHER FIELD ACTIVITIES
Overall, during the reporting period, the WWF Gamba Project established 140 mission orders, totalling
2656 man/days of
field missions. For
fiscal year 2007,
this gives a total of
246 mission orders,
resulting in a total
field effort of 4490
man/days of field
missions.
Table 1 below
shows the number
of man/days per
intervention zone of
the project, as well
as per different
types of missions
corresponding
to
the organizational
structure of the
project. The intervention zones are aligned with the management zones for the Gamba Complex as
proposed by a team of consultants in December 20032, (see map above).
Table 1:
Number of missions per type and intervention zone expressed in man/days of WWFGamba from January to June 2007
Department
Administration
Environmental
Education
Logistics
Monitoring
Fisheries
Surveillance
Total
2
Intervention Zone
Multiple
Moukalaba Gamba EcoLandscape
Loango
Ndogo
Use
Outside
Doudou
rural-urban
Gamba National
Management
Ecological
Landscape
National Management
Conkouati
Park
Zone
Corridor
Park
zone
6
30
40
10
2
116
65
261
259
269
460
3
9
300
21
204
285
210
76
248
27
204
137
534
285
775
63
31
86
95
98
316
218
579
143
1314
196
2656
3
Blom, a. & C. Geerling (2004). Zoning, protected area status and management regimes in the Gamba Protected Area
Complex.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
Total
19
Ant-poaching and surveillance support
Table 2 below shows the quantities and nature of confiscated items during the reporting period, as well
as during the total fiscal year 2007.
Table 2:
Nature and quantity of confiscations during reporting period and FY07
Confiscations
July - December 2006
Guns
22
small game guns
19
large game rifles
3
Animals
32
non-protected species
22
protected species
11
Ammunitions
78
small game
68
large game
10
Traps/snares
77
small game
30
large game
47
Elephant tusks
0
Chainsaws
2
Quantities
January – June 2007
17
26
1
18
23
-6
59
52
7
364
177
187
2
0
Totals FY 07
49
45
4
50
45
5
137
120
17
441
207
234
2
2
Furthermore, 26 hunters were arrested during the reporting period. Also, eleven (11) poaching camps
were destroyed, and 39 monofilament fishing nets were confiscated.
Human/Wildlife Conflict support
The partnership created with Haliburton-Gabon, the company that works as a contractor for Shell Gabon
and maintains the oil wells in the area, has been continued and the use of iron flow lines to clean the oil
pipes going into the wells have proven to be of excellent use in protecting agricultural plantations
against crop raiding elephants during a six month testing period.
During the reporting period, 2 new community slash-and-burn agricultural plantation sites (Panga and
Loubomo) have been added to the existing protected plantations by WWF/MINEF teams, in order to
assist the farmers in setting up collective protection systems.
Also, agreements were developed by WWF that aim to set the rules for WWF/MINEF support to
farmers, clearly specifying engagements of both the farmers and WWF/MINEF, in order to promote
implication of local communities within these self defence systems prior to receiving of financial, material
or technical support by WWF.
Socio-economic monitoring
Together with our ecological monitoring team, WWF socio-economical team executed one mission to
the village of Igotchi to map the current social situation and to map all existing infrastructures and
buildings, as well as to collect baseline data on selected species (great apes, elephant, large antelope,
buffalo) and sites for tourism purposes to serve as a base line for the proposed tourism development in
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
20
the area by Taresika (www.taresika.com), which is meant to implicate the local population in all tourist
activities including agricultural development, guiding, labour for construction and hospitality.
Assistance to traditional fisheries
The Gamba Complex counts more than 150,000 hectares of open fresh water bodies (lagoons, rivers).
In the main town Gamba, fishing is the second most important economical activity for its inhabitants
after oil. Because of the downsizing of the oil industry, traditional fisheries might be of the only income
generating activities left for the local communities. In order to prepare an economical future for the area,
and in order to avoid a potential important increase in illegal hunting when the oil runs out, WWF is
working with local fishermen to set up a sustainable local fishing industry. Before stimulating local
fisheries, WWF needed to get an insight in productivity of the coastal area and off-take efforts. To do so,
WWF helped to organize the fishermen, and to jointly monitor their activities. A local fishermen’s
association (APDN) was created, and this association extended its number of members throughout the
villages along the Ndogo lagoon and lower Nyanga river and, helped by WWF, set-up a micro credit
scheme. Members of the association can get fishing nets, ice boxes and motor parts from the
association, which have to be paid back (in fish). The members of the association sell most of their
catch in their own shop which is generating profits from which all the members benefit in terms of
necessary equipment or reparations. In this way the association unites local fisherman around an
economic incentive and at the same time their off take efforts can be monitored through the sale through
their shop.
During the reporting period an additional two students from the ENEF (National School for Water and
Forestry) have been contracted to analyze the existing available monitoring data collected by the APDN,
the Fisheries Brigade and the WWF and the possibility to improve the functioning of the APDN. A
consolidated approach was proposed by adapting the different existing data collection protocols to
create a more coherent monitoring scheme, and the constraints to further develop the APDN were
mapped and future steps proposed.
The lack of tradesman ship, knowledge on international hygiene and the inability to properly conserve
fish straight after capture are three of the main factors that hinder the local fishing industry in the area to
exploit this abundant resource more efficiently and export it to the rest of the region. A more organized
fishing industry also facilitates the implementation of a monitoring scheme.
Therefore a collaboration between WWF and the Sodexho Company has been initiated which will entail
training of local fishermen (of the APDN) on general hygiene to be able to sell their fish to Sodexho,
which is the main supplier of food for Shell and his contractors, and to reinforce the local capacity on
commercialization and conservation of fisheries products in the Ndogo Lagoon and the Nyanga river.
Outreach and environmental education
Since 2.5 years, all education and outreach activities that fall within WWF Gamba Programme’s
objectives are outsourced to the local environmental NGO called Ibonga-ACPE (www.ibonga.org).
During the reporting period, Ibonga has again been very productive and have has again expanded its
team by the recruitment of a technical director, a handicraft manager, a tourist guide and a manager for
the Loango NP visitor’s centre from August 2007 onwards.
The final evaluation and testing of the environmental curriculum for primary schools developed by
Ibonga has taken place which will be fully implemented as from next year onwards in schools in the
Gamba Complex.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
21
The concept of the “Conservation Road Show” has been also finalized aiming to raise awareness on
nature conservation using a puppet theatre, projection of films, presentations by agents of the Water
and Forest Ministry on protected areas and several posters, brochures and publication, including a
document with the Gabon Forestry Law, the Environment Law, the creation decrees of the national
parks in the Gabon segment of the Gamba-Conkouati Landscape, and application decrees on hunting
and wildlife management. During the reporting period, Ibonga’s first road show visited 6 villages and
reached around 750 people and was a great success. The second mission has been executed in the
largest towns in the Gamba Complex, Gamba and Tchibanga before and after World Environment Day
with a participation of 1200 school children in Gamba and at least 600 in Tchibanga.
World Environment Day has become to be one of the largest yearly manifestations in Gamba. This year
organized for the sixth time in Gamba and for the second time in Tchibanga. In Gamba at least 2500
people participated in the different events such as the opening ceremony, information stands, sport
tournaments, city cleanup, and the closing ceremony animated by national celebrities attracted at least
1000 spectators, which is quite remarkable considering a total population of 7000 for Gamba town.
Training
The WWF-Gamba staff has benefited from several trainings during this reporting period. Form 19 to 21
February the WWF Data Base Manager followed the WWF Introduction Course in Gland.
The Database Manager benefited furthermore from a two-week GIS training (April 11-23) at the
“Cybertracker Conservation Programme” head quarters in Cape Town, South Africa. The training,
funded thru the EU-Cybertracker programme, aimed to update our GIS specialist on the new software
and hardware required by the project and used during all field missions to constantly update the regional
database.
The Database manager further trained at his turn 6 field staff to the use the new palm top equipment
and software (Cybertracker version 3.0).
The WWF Gamba accountant was given an ACCPAC training in February. The training took place at
the Country Programme Office in Libreville for all WWF accountants in Gabon and was given by our
regional IT manager.
WWF also supported the mission cost for training for the head of our Anti Poaching Unit from May 7 to
21 at the National Training Centre in Lopé. The training was organised by ENEF (Ecole National des
Eaux et Forêts) and ERAIFT (Ecole Régionale post-universitaire d’Aménagement et de gestion Intégrés
des Forêts et Territoires tropicaux) on the implication of local population in protected area management
and ecotourism.
Five National Students of the National School for Water and Forests (ENEF) were also tutored by the
different Unit Managers of the Gamba programme during their field work and thesis (May, June and
July). They thereby contributed to the programme by (i) developing a database for tourism management
for the Loango Visitors Centre, (ii) studying the effectiveness of the environmental curriculum in the local
schools, (iii) studying behaviour and habituation of the red capped mangabey monkey and (iv-v) the
development of the fisheries sector.
Tourism development
Significant progress was made on two fronts; (i) the creation of the tourism visitors centre at the
southern entry point of Laongo National Park, and (ii) collaboration with a group of Dutch tourism
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
22
investors Taresika (www.taresika.com) to start model ecotourism operations in Moukalaba-Doudou
National Park.
Loango Visitor Centre
In collaboration with national park authorities, the local NGO Ibonga and tour operators, significant
progress was made to set up a tourism visitors centre at the Sette Cama Wildlife Brigade at the
southern entry point of Loango National Park.
Progress was made in the following areas:
 Construction of extension of buildings (see photo
to the right);
 2 working sessions with park management and
tour operators on TOR of the Centre and
establishment of tented camp in the centre of the
Park,
 Creation of list server for all actors involved to
exchange
information
([email protected]);
 Permanent exhibition on marine turtles thru 12
interpretation panels,
 Assistance to Ibonga in fundraising with local
Bank.
Construction of Visitor Centre (WWF, March 2007)
Taresika
Tariska is “committed to rural development and nature conservation in Gabon. To proof that a new way
of development is possible. Increase economic activity whilst conserving Nature and convince the
Gabonese people that their natural resources are of strategic and probably in the long term of
immeasurable value within a global context. The concept is directed towards upmarket eco-tourism
developments in Gabon national parks with the accent on intercultural exchange and personal
development of the local population. Furthermore we foresee cooperation with different NGOs to
enhance research, protection and conservation of national parks” (see: www.taresika.com).
Over the reporting period, WWF Gamba has been working with this group of Dutch investors in the
Proposed tourism concession area (above) and research
design for faunal inventories (right) (WWF, June 2007)
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
23
following areas;
 Development of legal documents (cahier de change and convention de concession),
 Joint scoping mission to the proposed concession area near Igotchi rapids, Moukalaba-Doudou
National Park,
 Developing areas of collaboration between Taresika and a community-based eco-tourism and
conservation NGO called PROGRAM in the village of Doussala, Moukalaba-Doudou NP,
 Facilitation of contacts between investors and local and national authorities and local
communities,
 Development of technical documents and detailed maps (see above),
 Socio-economic and ecological monitoring missions in their proposed concession area to
inventory (i) presence, relative abundance and spatial distribution of key tourism species (great
apes, elephants, large antelopes, and forest buffalo), (ii) presence of exceptional natural
tourism features (i.e. natural clearings in the forest, salt licks, swamps, rapids, etc.) and (iii)
mapping of potential hunting pressure, and (iv) mapping of all existing infrastructures and
buildings.
PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS
Institutional change and friction at the National Level: Three of the 13 National Parks, the Loango
National Park, the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park and Mayumba National Park, created by the
President of the Republic of Gabon in August 2002 are located in the Gabon Segment of the GambaConkouati Landscape. Since their creation, an inter-ministerial council (CNPN), lead by the Presidency,
has been charged to establish an overall national parks management framework and legal structure. As
reporting in the previous reports, the creation of the CNPN has continued to lead to important conflicts
between the Ministry and CNPN. The roles and responsibilities of the Ministry, previously fully in charge
of protected areas, and of CNPN that is responsible for supervising the development of the National
Park Network, still remain to be clarified. This tension continues to cause delays in the decision making
process and has made assistance to Government for joint CNPN/MINEF/WWF action outside the
geographical limits of the National Parks difficult. Also, Presidential elections were held in Gabon in
December 2005, following which a new government has been appointed in January 2006. Legislative
elections were held in December 2006, and another new government has been appointed on January
25, 2007. Institutional changes in the field of wildlife and protected area management in general, and
regarding national parks in particular, were expected and reported during the Progress Reports of JuneDecember 2005, January-June 2006 and July-December 2006. Law on National Parks which was
expected to be adopted by Government during the first quarter of 2006, including the subsequent
creation of a para-statal organization in charge of the management of the National Parks network, has
still not been adopted. The current hope is that this will be done during the last quarter of 2007.
Oil exploration in Loango National Park
During the reporting period, WWF-Gabon has informed the WWF Network and its partners on an
ongoing basis regarding progress on this very sensitive file. Annex 1 shows the latest briefing note
WWF prepared in collaboration with WCS: “Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango
National Park, Gabon, Briefing Note – May 21, 2007”.
Also during the reporting period, and following 32 hours of meetings between Sinopec, the Ministries of
the environment and Hydrocarbons, Sinopec, CNPN and WCS and WWF, both conservation
organizations were mandated by the Ministry of the Environment to audit the Environmental and Social
management Plan (ESMP) of Sinopec. Thereto, WCS on behalf of both organizations submitted project
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
24
proposal to USFWS Great Ape conservation Fund in June 2007 entitled Environmental and socioeconomic audit of SINOPEC oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon (ref. GA-0424),
which has been accepted. This will allow both organizations to have a permanent team on-site to control
Sinopec’s mitigation measures, as written in their Environmental Impact assessment and ESMP. This
team as been on site since June 2007.
Unexpected effects
As explained in the section “oil exploration” above, the fact that WCS and WWF have been mandated
by the Government of Gabon to audit the environmental impact assessment and social and
environmental management plan of the Chinese oil company Sinopec in Loango NP, has been a major
breakthrough in trying to find suitable compromises between Gabon’s biodiversity conservation and
development goals.
Learning and Sharing
See section on training above.
Adaptive Management
Nothing in particular to report
Communications/ Stories
Online appeal
The innovative on-line funding appeal for the Gamba Complex: “Safe the Gamba”, launched in early
2006 (see www.panga.org/gabon/gamba) through a very positive collaboration between the
communication department of WWF International and WWF Gamba, has yet again resulted in several
thousands of CHF for Gamba. Particular thanks go again to Ste Drayton and his team, who not only
made a great job of this website, but who also maintains regular contacts and provides feedback to the
investors in Gamba. Thanks again Ste!
Communication tools developed
During this reporting period, the following main tools were developed, either by WWF Gamba itself, or
through active participation of WWF Gamba;
 Ibonga, the local environmental education association, finalized their website: www.Ibonga.org.
 Ibonga finalized editing of their conservation awareness raising movie, filmed by international
conservation filmer Sarah Matthews and 4 local kids,
 A WWF awareness raising brochure and poster have been developed, showing general
information about the Gamba Complex and WWF activities, as well as the principal protected
animal species in the region and rules and regulations regarding their capture.
Future Issues/ Challenges
Institutional change process on the national level:
As mentioned in the former Progress Report and above, the creation of the CNPN has led to important
conflicts between the Ministry and CNPN. The adoption of a new government in January 2006, as well
as the adoption of the Law on National Parks and the creation of a para-statal agency responsible for
the management of the Parks, will heavily influence WWF-Gamba’s intervention capacity, and mainly in
the fields of management planning for Loango and Moukalaba-Doudou National Parks, zoning and
management planning for the Gamba Complex, support to the development of a tourism plan for
Laongo National Park, as well as concerning it’s CARPE landscape lead role for coordinated action in
the Gabon segment of the Gamba-Conkouati Landscape.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
25
Sustainable eco-tourism development:
As reported in the three previous Progress Reports, awaiting the adoption of the Law on National Park
in Gabon and the subsequent creation of the institution in charge of the management of the national
parks network, no legal mechanisms exist that guarantee that tourism activities and revenues contribute
to park management and local communities. Current tourism development initiatives, amongst others by
Société de Développement et de Conservation (SCD) in the area (branded as “Operation Loango”)
therefore have no sound legal footage, and do not systematically contribute to park management of
community development.
Largely because of the above, efforts by Taresika (www.taresika.com), assisted by WWF, to acquire a
tourism concession in the periphery of Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, have until now not resulted in
an attributed concession for the area. During the next reporting period, important efforts will be deployed
to try to further advance this situation, with the hope to have construction started in early 2008.
Overall Assessment of progress
Progress against action plans was satisfactory.
Finally, during the report period, and in collaboration with Christina M. Ellis, Coordinator, WWF African
Great Apes Programme (WWF CARPO), we submitted a project proposal to the Great Apes
Conservation Fund of US Fish and Wildlife Service. This proposal (1 year, total grand amount:
$100,000), aims to reinforce protection status of great apes in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park and
the CBG logging concession, has been positively reviewed, and funding is expected to start in the
second quarter of FY08.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
26
PART III: MONITORING REPORT (TARGETS SAME AS JULY-DECEMBER)
Targets
Baseline (Value and
date of
measurement)
Indicators
Current status
Success
rating
Global
target &
Milestone
PA status of reserves in the
Gamba Complex maintained,
At least one more
Within the framework of management planning sessions for Loango NP, discussions
and total area surface of
protected area within
have started to enlarge limits of Loango NP to include important swamp areas. However,
Gamba Complex increased by
Gamba-Conkouati
oil interest and the attribution of an exploration permit in his area to a Chinese state100,000 hectares following the At creation of national
Landscape, and
owned company Sinopec, has seriously complicated this. The idea for the creation of a
creation of Loango and
parks in Gabon in
maintenance of
protected terrestrial corridor between Mayumba Marine NP in Gabon and Conkouati NP
Moukalaba-Doudou National August 2002.
protected area status for
in Congo-Brazzaville has been maintained during the first landscape meting between all
Parks. Creation of Mayumba
PAs within the Gamba
partners in September 2005. Further discussions took place between landscape partners
Marine National Park in Gabon
Complex.
in the framework of the CAWHFI initiative in February 2007.
part of Gamba Conkouati
Landscape.
Forests 1.1.
Establishment of at
least one bushmeat
management
agreement with major
logging company in the
Gamba Conkouati
Landscape
Forests 1.4.
1, Wildlife management plan
covering 350,000 hectares of
CBG logging permit adopted
and operational.
Development of Land
Use Plan (LUP) for the
First draft LUP produced by
Gamba Conkouati
September 2006.
Forest Landscape by
2011.
CAWFHI-FFEM project (Euro 224,000 for 3 years) to assist CBG with the
implementation of their wildlife management plan started in March 2007. Collaboration
FY05, first
convention between MEF, CBG and WWF developed by WWF and agreed upon by
discussions with CBG CBG. MEF approval expectedf in August 2007. WWF office in Mandji operational, WWF
and missions held. coordinator installed, awaiting the arrival of two Water & Forest agents and counterpart
in August. Meeting with local authorities and CBG are scheduled in July and August
2007.
FY04, start of
CARPE/CBFP
intervention.
First draft LUP working document for the Gabon segment of the landscape produced in
October 2005, and draft action plans to address cross-border threats (oil pollution,
marine turtles, illegal trawling, illegal cross-border logging and poaching) developed.
Further updates were produced in March 2006, and submitted in CARPE progress
report. In August 2006, Ryan Clark, B.Sc. University of Guelph, published is thesis
“Applying the ecosystem approach to management of the Gamba-Mayumba-Conkouati
Landscape” at the Royal Roads University. Given the fact that we are still waiting for the
adoption of the Law on National Parks, these documents have not been transmitted to
central govrnement, awaiting clarification on the institutional level.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
27
Targets
Protection and
sustainable exploitation
of traditional fisheries in
150,000 hectares of
fresh water ecosystems
within the Gamba
Complex
Indicators
Baseline (Value and
date of
measurement)
1. Numbers of traditional
fishermen, 2. Production (in
tonnage / species), 3. Numbers
First inventory of
of cases of illegal fishing
fishermen conducted
reported measured against
in 2002.
effort (man/days of missions),
4. Availability of fisheries
zoning and monitoring plans.
1. Presence of terrestrial
surveillance personnel at
Control and eradication outlets of rivers and lagoons in
Occasional
of illegal industrial
the Gamba-Conkouati
surveillance of illegal
trawling at outlets of
landscape. 2. Presence of
trawling started by
lagoons and rivers of database on trespassing boats.
WCS in 2004.
the Gamba Complex. 3. Existence of marine
intervention systems. 5.
Decline in illegal presence of
trawlers in 3 nautical mile zone.
Current status
Success
rating
Global
target &
Milestone
1. Inventory further updated during reporting period. 2. Current production level
estimates available. 3. Data available. 4. Further updated draft zoning and monitoring
plan available. 5. Local fishermen’s’ association (APDN) membership expanded
throughout 4 fishing villages in the Ndougou lagoon, 5. Two student reports available on
a) consolidation of the different databases existing at fisheries Brigade, APDN and
WWF- b) restructuring of the APDN 6. Joint Sodexho/WWF fisheries support project
under development.
Freshwater
ecosystems
3.1.
1. Draft coastal surveillance strategy developed for Gamba-Conkouati transboundary
Landscape. 2. Active terrestrial and marine surveillance ongoing in Mayumba marine
NP. 3. Extension of surveillance posts foreseen at outlet of Nyanga river and Sette
Cama lagoon in Q4 of FY07. 4. African Development Bank funding secured by Gabon to
reinforce fisheries surveillance in southern Gabon.
Marine 2.2.
1. Following three years of strong decline in numbers of marine turtles on the Gamba
beaches, and an important increase during fourth years’ season, this years data show a
small fall back in nesting numbers. 2. Poaching of nests reduced to quasi zero on
First systematic data monitored beach. WWF coordinated Natiponal aerial surveys covering the 800 kn of
Stabilization or increase 1. Numbers of nesting females collection on the
Gabonese coast. Data show in increase in nesting numbers this season compared to
of populations of marine on research beach. 2. Cases of Gamba beaches
last year, but similar distribution patterns 3. A report of 5 years of WWF marine turtle
turtles in the Gamba
nest poaching. 3. Numbers of started during
monitoring was produced by WWF Gamba in June 2007 and an update on current
Complex.
dead turtles on the beach.
2002/2003 turtle
season was send to WWF International in January 2007 as WWF Gamba contribution to
season.
the WWF turtle newsletter. Also, and in the framework of a WWF-LAC initiated Trans
Atlantic Marine Turtle Movement Programme, three satellite transmitters were
successfully placed on female leatherbacks in Gabon in March 2006 and are still active
today. Movements of these turtles can be followed on a daily basis on panda.org.
Technical Progress Report, Gamba Programme, Gabon, WWF-CARPO, January – June 2007
Species
1.1.
28
Tel: (241) 73 00 28 / 07 84 00 20
Annexe 1 :
WWF Central Africa Regional Fax: (241) 73 80 56
Programme Office, CARPO
Email : [email protected]
Gabon Country Office
Montée de Louis
BP 9144 Libreville
Gabon
GABON PROGRAM
250 BOULEVARD QUABEN
BP 7847, LIBREVILLE, GABON
WWW.WCS.ORG
Website: www.panda.org
PHONE: + 241 444039
MOBILE: + 241 840063
[email protected]
Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon
Briefing Note – May 21, 2007
Introduction
This briefing note has been prepared with a view to provide a consolidated overview of the
current status and activity levels of oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon,
by the Chinese oil company Sinopec.
This note is an update to a briefing note entitled “Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities
in Loango National Park_Nov28_2006”, sent to the donor community and other stakeholders
in Gabon as attachment to an email dated December 15, 2006.
Recap on background
Loango National Park (153,581 hectares) is
located within what is called the Gamba Complex
of Protected Areas in the South-west of Gabon.
Along with the Conkouati-Douli National Park
and adjacent reserves in Congo-Brazzaville, it is
part of the Gamba-Conkouati Trans-boundary
Forest Landscape selected as one of the eleven
critical landscapes by the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership (CBFP). Loango NP was created by
President Omar Bongo by decree N°
613/PR/MEFEPEPN on August 30, 2002, as part
of an historical move to create 13 national parks
covering 10% of Gabon territory.
Loango NP is superimposed on the previously
created Gamba Complex, with Loango NP
enclosing formerly Petit Loango Faunal Reserve
and parts of the Iguela and Ngové Ndogo Hunting
Reserves. The formerly Faunal Reserve of Petit
Loango, currently enclosed in Loango National
Park, is a RAMSAR site.
Annex 1: Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon – May 21, 2007
i
The Park currently receives support from, amongst others: (i) USAID through CARPE (Central
Africa Regional Program for the Environment support to CBFP), (ii) UNESCO through its
Central Africa World Forest Heritage Initiative (CAWHFI) funded by the United Nations
Foundation and FFEM, (iii) EU through PSVAP (Progamme Sectoriel de Valorization des Aires
Protégées – up to September 2006), (iv) USFWS, (v) FFEM through their support to the local
NGO Ibonga, (vi) WCS and WWF, and (vii) private donors. Loango NP overlaps with three oil
exploration concessions (see map above). The main one is a permit previously called “LT2000”,
which overlaps for about 90% with the NP’s boundaries. During the eighties, extensive seismic
studies have been undertaken within this permit, concluding at that time that no economically
viable oil reserves were present.
On September 13, 2005, an exploration contract for the LT 2000 bloc (“Contrat d’Exploration et
de Partage de Production”) was signed between the Government of Gabon (signed by the
Minister of Mining and the Minister of Finance, and SINOPEC Overseas Oil and Gas Limited
(CEPPP Lotus G4-217)). The permit name was changed from “LT2000” to “Lotus”.
In January 2006, Sinopec engaged a local consultancy firm called Action for Sustainable
Development (ASD) to produce their mandatory EIA. In June 2006, ASD produced a document
called “Etude d’impact sur l’Environnement relative aux travaux de sismique 2D dans le bloc
Lotus – Rapport final Juin 2006”. This proposed final version of the EIA was reviewed during a
meeting organized by the Environment Direction of the Ministry of the Environment on July 21,
2006, and rejected. At the end of July, based on a detailed analysis of the document, both WCS
and WWF have addressed official letters to the Director of Environment with detailed technical
comments and requests for clarification. The EIA has been subsequently reviewed by the World
Bank which assessed that it did not meet international standards and proposed a concrete revised
outline to ASD. In early September 2006, the General Director of the Environment (DGE)
decided that the document was of such poor quality that it could not be improved by the same
consultancy firm and that a new EIA process was therefore to be started so that the EIA could
meet national and international standards.
Also in September 2006, the Gabon office of an international consultancy firm - Royal
Haskoning www.royalhaskoning.com - was proposed to Sinopec to take on the new EIA process.
Working contacts between Haskoning and the international conservation community in Gabon
(WCS/WWF) were established during two first meetings in late October 2006. Most of the
information available on Loango NP, including the draft management and zoning plans and GIS
layers were provided to the consultancy firm. The EIA contract for Haskoning was signed by
Sinopec in December 2006.
Presentation and discussion of new EIA
The final draft of the new EIA was officially presented to the Ministry of the Environment on
March 14, 2007. As from that date, and in accordance with Gabonese Law, the EIA was
available at the Ministry for consultation by the public for a period of 10 days following a public
announcement in the national newspaper “l’Union”. According to the procedure, WWF, WCS,
Max Planck Institute, Brainforest (and possibly others) therefore submitted their written
comments to the Ministry of the Environment by March 23, 2007.
On April 19, 2007, the conservation NGOs were convened by the DGE for a meeting, the
objective of which was to discuss and harmonize the comments from all conservation partners
Annex 1: Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon – May 21, 2007
ii
(in particular WCS and WWF) in order to prepare a concerted Ministry’s reply to Sinopec/Royal
Haskoning’s EIA.
On April 24, 2007, the DGE organized a final meeting with Sinopec and the Ministry of Mining,
in order to present the company with the Ministry’s consolidated opinion. Contrary to common
practice, and to WCS and WWF’s satisfaction, the DGEI invited WCS and WWF to the meeting,
in order to make sure that “he was surrounded by expert advice” during the presentation of the
Ministry’s observations.
Following this meeting, is was agreed between the DGE and WCS/WWF that the latter would
provide a joint summary of their key recommendations to the EIA in general, and to the
Environmental and Social Management Plan (Plan de Gestion Environnemental et Social –
PGES) section within the EIA in particular.
During a separate working session later that same day, WCS and WWF presented a joint letter to
the DGE, with the following main consolidated comments:
Overall EIA
Prior to adoption of the EIA, WCS/WWF recommended that;
1. Detailed maps be provided indicating exact locations of seismic lines in general, and more
specifically per Sinopec intervention zone (three zones in total). These maps should not only
show seismic lines, but also locations of existing tourism lodges and circuits, the proposed
zoning as foreseen in the draft management plan for the Park, the Max Planck research area,
sensitive ecological areas, etc.),
2. Given the important ecological and economical vulnerability of the Akaka swamps and the
Max Planck research area:

the establishment of fly-camps and access roads in these areas would need to be further
studied and agreed upon specifically by the DGE, and that only formerly existing roads in
the Park should be allowed to be potentially re-opened;

Specific mitigation and control measures would need to be put in place before allowing
seismic in the Akaka swamps and Max Planck research area.
In short, WCS and WWF considered that, based on the current EIA, exploration in the northeastern and north-western zones would be acceptable as long as the PGES would be reinforced
as indicated below, and that the construction of a possible fly-camp and the re-opening of a
possible road in the southern sector would need a specific additional EIA, and that seismic
operations in the Akaka swamps should first be ground tested.
PGES (Environmental and Social Management Plan)
WCS and WWF suggested that the PGES should be reinforced significantly on two aspects: the
establishment of crosscutting management and monitoring tools, and the reinforcement and
clarification of certain specific mitigation measures. The following to-be-developed crosscutting
tools were suggested:
1. A precise calendar should be established in order to respect the seasonality indicated in the
vulnerability map within the EIA. In terms of timing, seismic operations should start in the
north-eastern zone (to be identified more precisely such as the other two zones), i.e. in June,
followed by the north-western zone as of July, and the third and final southern zone should
not be started before earliest September, after the start of the rainy season.
Annex 1: Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon – May 21, 2007
iii
2. To reduce impacts during execution, a local Consultation Commission should be established
on site to serve as consultation framework, notably to allow for harmonization of calendars,
debriefing on results (including potential encountered problems), and, if needed, the
formulation of recommendations for corrective action. This Commission could be composed
of field representatives of Sinopec, the Administration in charge of management of Loango
NP, tourism operators, conservation NGOs, Max Planck Institute, under the direction of a
representative of the DGE. This Commission should meet on a bi-monthly basis and produce
MoMs to be sent to respective HQs.
3. An independent Auditor, to be recruited through a restricted tender process based on clear
ToRs (concerning in particular the control of calendar, opening of transects, installation of
fly-camps and access roads, seismic operations), should be in charge of monitoring the
implementation of the mitigation measures proposed in the PGES. The Auditor should
produce bi-monthly reports that would be reviewed by the Commission mentioned above.
The following specific additional mitigation measures were also suggested:
1. A communications plan should be developed, to be managed by the DGE and based on
technical reports provided by Sinopec, the Commission and the Auditor mentioned above, in
order to mitigate the impact of this project to the image of Loango NP in particular and to
Gabon in general ;
2. Regarding impacts on vegetation, it was suggested to authorize only cutting of trees of
maximum 10 cm in diameter for transect opening, and that the use of chainsaws should be
totally prohibited;
3. Regarding impacts on wildlife, it was recommended that:
a. Prior to authorization, seismic explosions in the Akaka swamps should first be tested
in the presence of independent experts mandated by the DGE;
b. All activities within the Akaka swamps should be monitored by the independent
auditing team, and that non-controlled explosions (i.e. explosions that blow upwards
and create shock waves in the water instead of downwards into the substrate) should
be limited to 1% of the total explosions. Above this percentage, and following similar
procedures in off-shore seismic operations, all activities should be immediately
suspended;
c. All activities within the Max Planck research zone should be undertaken with small
teams, systematically including a researcher of the Institute;
d. A mixed team of about 5 people composed of members of the Mobile Brigade of the
Direction of Hunting and Wildlife of the Ministry of Forestry (Brigade mobile de la
Direction de la Faune et de la Chasse - DFC) and the management authority of
Loango NP should control that access roads and seismic transects opened by Sinopec
would not serve for illegal hunting purposes until natural closure of these access
points after a minimum period of two years. This team should be on site permanently
and undertake daily missions starting at the Iguela Wildlife Brigade. Operation costs
of this team should be supported by Sinopec;
e. The access roads opened by Sinopec in the Park should be controlled by Sinopec on a
24h/24 basis, in order to control prohibition of any transport of hunters, bushmeat,
trophies, iron snares, guns or ammunition.
Government endorsement of revised new EIA
On Wednesday May 9, 2007, the Ministry of the Environment delivered a “Certificat de
Conformité” to Sinopec, thereby officially endorsing Sinopec/Haskoning’s EIA.
Annex 1: Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon – May 21, 2007
iv
This Certificate is accompanied by two annexes. Annex 1 provides a detailed lists of actions to
be achieved by Sinopec prior to the start of the project (listed hereafter), and annex 2 describes
the Monitoring Plan to be developed (see below). It is important to note that the Certificate
expressly mentions that it can be cancelled following reports by the monitoring team or the
Ministry of the Environment in case of violation.
Extract of annex 1:
“Provisions related to seismic operations in Bloc Lotus, attributed to
Sinopec Overseas Oil&Gas Limited”.
…. The DGE prescribes the following points to be executed by Sinopec prior to the execution of
the project:
1. Provision of maps of zones 1,2&3 indicating overlapping GIS layers of seismic zones,
environmentally sensitive zones, road network, and hydrography,
2. Phasing of the project per zone. The seismic activities are to be executed following a detailed
calendar that takes into account seasonality and seasonal movements of fauna according to
the table below,
Zone
Month
Observations
1. (north-east)
2. (north-west apart from
the
« Max
Planck »
research zone)
3. (South)
Before September
Before September apart from
the « Max Planck » research
zone
As from September
The « Max Planck » research
zone should be included in zone
3
Conditioned by feasibility study
(see point3 & 4 below)
3. Test explosions in swamps. It is decided that test explosions are to be executed in the
swamps prior to the start of the project in zone 3. These tests will be done in presence of
experts of the DGE, CNPN, WWF and WCS,
4. Evaluation of the need for –and feasibility of- the installation of a fly-camp in the southern
zone (zone 3), and the re-opening of additional roads. It is decided that prior to the start of
works in zone 3, a joint DGE/CNPN/Sinopec/WWF/WCS field mission will be organized to
select potential sites for the installation of the fly-camp and the potential trace of a road,
5. Fly-camp in zone 2 (North-west). It is decided that fly-camp in the North-western zone (zone
2) will be located in the savannah, and that the exact location will be decided in common
agreement between Sinopec and conservation actors,
6. Costs. The costs related to the prescriptions in the PGES and in the Monitoring Plan are to be
supported by Sinopec.
Extract of annex 2:
“Monitoring Plan for the implementation of the Social and Environmental
Management Plan (PGES) related to the Seismic 2D works in Bloc ‘Lotus’
attributed to Sinopec Overseas Oil&Gas Limited”.
Monitoring of the impacts mitigation measures is the responsibility of a committee established
and mandated by the DGE. It is composed of representatives of DGE, CNPN, and Conservation
NGOs working in Loango NP, notably WCS and WWF. The committee will have three
intervention levels:
1. A field team composed of a permanent mixed team of WCS and WWF will work in close
cooperation with the Conservateurs (Park Wardens) of Loango NP. This team’s mandate will
be to;
Annex 1: Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon – May 21, 2007
v

Evaluate, on a daily basis, the respect of the environmental and social clauses of the
PGES, signal any shortcomings, and discuss with Sinopec appropriate corrective
measures,
 Produce, on a bi-monthly basis, a written report to their respective hierarchies,
evaluating systematically the application of the measures included in the PGES and
the activities of the surveillance / anti-poaching team,
 Assist the “fly-camp and possible southern road establishment” identification mission
n as well as the mission to control test explosions in the Akaka swamps.
2. WCS/WWF in Gabon will send a consolidated bi-monthly report to the DGE based on the
information provided by the field team.
3. A monitoring team composed of the Directors or their representatives of DGE, CNPN,
Sinopec and WCS/WWF will meet once a month, or more regularly if needed, to discuss the
progress reports and to formulate monthly reports to be send by the DGE to Sinopec
regarding progress on field monitoring, and, if needed, providing instructions to be taken in
the case of incidents or non-respect of the PGES. The committee will occasionally perform
field visits. The commission will equally discuss communication measures with all actors
involved in Loango NP, including other Ministries concerned, the Government of Gabon, the
donor community and local, national and international press.
WCS and WWF have committed to actively and constructively support this participatory
monitoring framework but, in case of non application of corrective measures requested by the
Monitoring Committee, they have expressly reserved their right to withdraw themselves of the
Committee, upon consultation with the other members of the Committee.
Next steps
1. As per article 28 of the draft Law on National Parks, which states that mining exploration
activities in a NP are normally prohibited unless special authorization is provided by the
Administration in charge of NPs, Sinopec will need to receive an ‘special entry
authoritzation’ from the National Parks Council (Conseil National des Parcs Nationaux –
CNPN).
2. WCS and WWF will discuss technical implications and methodology on how practically to
implement their monitoring role mentioned above.
3. WCS and WWF will have a meeting with the DGE in order to formalize their monitoring
role.
Conclusion
The Government of Gabon is very much aware of the extreme sensitivity of this file, and
understands that the international community is looking at how Gabon will manage to find
acceptable trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and the need for further development of
its mining and oil reserves. Gabon is also conscious of the increasing Chinese ecological
footprint, and understands that the Sinopec case will set the stage for work with an increasing
number of Chinese extractive industries in Gabon, starting with CMEC iron mining company in
the Belinga Mountains, northern-Gabon, in the heart of the TRIDOM landscape.
WCS and WWF Gabon consider the outcome of the EIA process and the conditions attached to
the delivery of the “Certificat de Conformité” by the DGE to Sinopec as a positive breakthrough
in environmental mitigation planning in Gabon, and will devote time and expertise to work with
the Government of Gabon and Sinopec to ensure that environmental and social impacts of this
seismic campaign will be reduced to a minimum.
Annex 1: Update on Sinopec oil exploration activities in Loango National Park, Gabon – May 21, 2007
vi
Report completed by:
Name
Bas W.T. Huijbregts
Position/ Title
Principal Technical Advisor, Gamba Programme
Organisation
WWF-Central Africa Regional Programme Office (CARPO), Gabon Country
Programme Office (GCPO), Gamba Programme
Date
July 29, 2007