Ivindo National Park

Ivindo National Park, located in east-central Gabon and bisected by the Equator, was created in August 2002 by presidential decree.  WCS presence in the area predates this, as Mike Fay traversed Ivindo during his famous Megatransect expedition in 2000.  Since 2001, a research camp has been established in proximity to Langoué Bai to monitor large mammal activities. In our research, we focus on gorillas, sitatungas, buffalo,  and elephants (including four that have been fitted with GPS transmitters to analyze their movements).  Apart from the abundant fauna and flora, Ivindo National Park contains the most impressive waterfalls in the equatorial forests of Africa.

The Human Aspect
From a conservationist’s perspective, Ivindo National Park is fortunate in that, with the exception of the presence in the northeastern corner, there are few human settlements in close proximity (less than a day’s walk) from its boundaries. However the park is exposed to human interventions. Our socio-economic team, funded by the Pond and MacArthur Foundations, concentrates its efforts in this area. Ivindo can only be accessed by railway, by plane using an unpaved airstrip, by boat on the larger rivers, or on foot. There is no road link to the rest of Gabon.

Threats
Fishing, hunting and ivory poaching, as well as commercial hunting outside park boundaries pose the most serious threats to wildlife in Ivindo National Park.  There have also been incursions by neighboring forestry companies to exploit forest resources within the park.
A possible future threat emerges with the proposed building of a hydro-electric dam on the Ivindo River and the construction of a railway in close proximity to the park to ship iron ore to its north-east corner. An important indirect threat is weak & inexperienced government involvement in park protection.

WCS activities
Research at Langoué Bai continues, mainly on elephants and gorillas. Other research at the bai includes vegetation studies, phenology, and a pilot study on sitatungas. Recent archeological work indicated human habitation between 600 - 800 years ago. A butterfly study discovered a thriving, diversified number of species, including two new species. A nascent tourism program has allowed limited numbers of visitors to visit this forest clearing.  An ongoing biological monitoring program will allow the Ivindo National Park staff to estimate sizes of large mammal populations throughout the protected area and to continue monitoring the impacts of management activities.  Other research includes a leopard study using camera traps to identify individuals, a study to improve recognition of vegetation forms using satellite imagery; and preliminary work on red river hogs.  The demarcation of the park was concluded in June 2004.
The socio-economic team will continue its research into human activities in neighboring villages in order to identify possible areas of conflict and begin to deal with them.

Important Next Steps

• Construction to upgrade the camp near Langoué Bai for the researchers and increasing number of eco-tourists.
• Rehabilitation, including a deep bore well, of an abandoned forestry camp, now within the park, for the training and future housing of the eco-guards. Establishing curricula and identifying trainers for the training & equipping of eco-guards.
• Continuation of research and monitoring activities noted above