Bateke National Park

Through the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, WCS is helping to manage a transboundary conservation program on the Bateke Plateau in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.  The president of  Gabon created the Bateke Plateau National Park in 2002 to protect this unique savannah ecosystem.  In partnership with the John Aspinall Foundation, WCS is providing technical and financial assistance to help effectively manage this important protected area.

The Human Aspect
The present-day ecosystem of the Bateke Plateau (savannas, gallery forests, etc.) has been deeply influenced by human activity (agriculture, hunting, savannah burning, etc.) for at least 3000 years. More than almost anywhere else in the Congo Basin, the maintenance of biodiversity on the Plateau is directly related to human activities.  Recently, these human activities, mainly commercial hunting, have intensified to the point that the biodiversity of the Bateke Plateau is seriously threatened.  In an ecosystem of nearly 6 million hectares (1,482,630 acres), the only zone still relatively rich in fauna is that defined by Bateke Plateau National Park (200,000 hectares).  In addition, the ancient and rich cultural traditions of the Téké Kingdom (one of the three large kingdoms in the sub-region) are also under threat from rapid cultural change taking place.

Threats
The biodiversity of the park and its periphery is threatened by Congolese and Gabonese poachers. Associated with this problem are human-induced fires that contribute to habitat destruction of Bateke’s wildlife. The lack of sound legal base, together with insufficient funding and insufficient human resources make protected area management in Gabon difficult.  This is compounded by inadequate political and popular support for Gabon’s new National Parks Office. A further problem is the limited support for the national park amongst local communities due to lack of concrete benefits resulting from conservation activities.

WCS Activities
Recruitment, training and equipping of a team of technicians is necessary for managing Bateke Plateau National Park. The park staff must include guards, assistants of ecological and socio-economic monitoring teams, tourist guides, along with the head warden, who must also be mentored.  The social science team has visited all of the villages around the park, doing community outreach and working to identify possible conflicts that will need further attention.  The biological monitoring team in the park is documenting the presence of large mammals.  A recent mission has found unconfirmed tracks of lions, thought to have disappeared from the region, and camera traps have been placed along trails in an effort to confirm their presence in the park.  Ultimately, these teams will be placed under the control of the park management team, when permitted by budgets and legal statutes.

We seek to improve local support for the national park through small-scale development projects (feasibility studies are currently in progress, assessing potential micro-agricultural projects and ecotourism), educational activities (mentoring of about 30 teachers around the park), and media promotion (newspaper articles, radio transmissions, documentaries).

A campaign against illegal hunting in and around the park has been underway for the past year.  Together with government authorities from the Ministry of Water and Forest, and we are working with local communities to help them manage their own traditional hunting territories against incursions by outsiders.

Important next steps
• Transfer trained park personnel from WCS to the Gabon National Parks Office administration when it has the legal and financial means to effectively manage them.
• Identify a private sector investor interested in developing ecotourism activities in the region.
• Develop a transborder management system for the ecosystem by fostering greater collaboration between Congolese and Gabonese authorities.