Birougou National Park

Birougou National Park was created in 2002 to protect 690 km2 of montane rain forest in the Chaillu Massif and is one of the two parks where the endemic sun-tailed guenon, first described in 1988, can be found. The park protects a section of the Chaillu Massif Pleistocene refuge, which has never been subjected to industrial logging. For certain wildlife, such as reptiles, amphibians, and insects, Birougou is one of the most diverse rain forests in Gabon. Recent research on butterflies in the adjacent Congolese part of the Chaillu Massif has confirmed Birougou’s extraordinary biodiversity.

The Human Aspect

The whole Chaillu Massif was covered with villages in colonial and pre-colonial time. Currently no permanent settlements exist inside Birougou National Park. The park’s periphery, however, is densely populated, - primarily by the Nzebi people. Many Nzebi trace their ancestry to former village sites inside the park. This means that many areas inside the park have cultural and spiritual significance for people living nearby, and several families still maintain camps in the Birougou. It is therefore essential that local people are engaged in the conservation of Birougou Park. WCS is working closely with villagers and the Gabonese National Parks Office to ensure this collaborative effort. Key activities include:

• A program of detailed participatory and on-the-ground mapping of important sites in and around the park.
• Initiating a pilot outreach program based on traditional understandings of the forest, which recognizes the significance of the park for local people.

Threats

The subsistence use of the park’s resources by the population adjacent to the Birougou has an impact on the ecological integrity of this protected area. More worrying, however, are the planning development of logging activities and diamond prospecting around the park. These activities could become major threats, particularly if they facilitate commercial hunting and erosion of Birougou’s watersheds.

WCS Activities

• A comprehensive training program for park staff, including future managers, park rangers, and outreach personnel.
• Development of temporary headquarters in Mbigou.
• A detailed program of land-use mapping in communities near the park to assess potential conflicts.
• Baseline data collection on the economic strategies and standard of living of park-adjacent communities (see also the "Parks and People" factsheet)
• Baseline surveys of large-mammal densities and human impact throughout the park and its periphery.
• Evaluation of the tourist potential of the park and its periphery.
• Boundary delineation and regular boundary surveys to detect and deter incursions by loggers.

Important Next Steps

• Continue working towards a management plan for the park, including a zoning plan and tourism blueprint.
• Work with forestry and mining companies operating around the park to put into place ‘best practice’ wildlife management measures.
• Initiate a pilot environmental education program, using traditional knowledge and understanding of the forest as a basis for involving local communities in conservation.
• Continue capacity-building work with communities adjacent to the park to ensure that conservation and tourism takes into account local concerns.
• Build and equip a permanent base camp and a satellite camp for the park.
• Conduct and facilitate research into key wildlife to better understand the biodiversity of the park in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution.
• Expand collaboration with Gabonese universities and other training institutions.
• Find sustainable funding solutions, particularly for outreach work.