Environmental Education and Outreach in Gabon’s National Parks

Gabon, as an equatorial country covered with rain forest, conjures images of wildlife and biodiversity. These images, and the recognition of its unique environmental position in the world, led to the creation of 13 national parks in 2002. The Parks could be an important part of Gabon’s future. Since 2002, WCS has taken a lead role in teaching primary school youth about ecology, biodiversity, and conservation. The program sets up educational programs in villages and creates a positive atmosphere to explain the benefits of conservation and the national parks.

The Human Aspect

The people who live in villages near the national parks represent diverse ethnic groups, all rich in culture that reflects their natural environment. The long-term survival of these less known traditions is intricately linked with the fate of the landscape. The Outreach Program believes that children who grow up in villages, learning forest skills first hand, are well equipped to become the park managers of the future.

Environmental education provides a context that reinforces traditional teachings with practical applicable activities. Children who grow up with positive attitudes towards the forest will be more apt to conserve it when they become adults. And adults who recognize the importance of education will be more likely to support the national parks because they provide a needed service.

Threats

National parks create boundaries that dictate where villagers can and cannot conduct subsistence activities. If these boundaries create conflict by reducing quality of life, the parks will be looked upon negatively, popular support will erode, and park survival will be jeopardized.

Schools in rural areas are a low national priority. There are not enough teachers for village schools and frequent leaves of school staff due to inadequate salaries. As a result, many villagers send their children to cities and much traditional knowledge is in danger of dying out.

WCS Activities

The WCS-Gabon Outreach program has developed an environmental education curriculum that includes classroom support and practical activities for rural schools located around the national parks in Gabon. The program emphasizes cultural values and indigenous knowledge of ecosystems. The curriculum uses the environment to teach basic educational skills (reading, writing, and math) and instill a spirit of conservation in Gabonese youth. We work closely with elders in villages, recruiting local artisans to teach with the program. Both educational and cultural activities are filmed with the sanction of villagers for archival storage as well as entertainment and promotion.

The Eco-Musée, Lopé National Park

The Eco-Musée property interweaves indoor and outdoor space with the varied elements of Lopé’s forest, savanna, and people, simultaneously educating and stimulating the imaginations of visitors and students. It is an ideal setting for environmental education classes and as an introduction to Lopé and its forest for eco-tourists. It has the following infrastructure in place:

• An outdoor arboretum of over 150 species of trees, shrubs, lianas, and orchids representing different elements and stages of the Lopé forest;
• Huts used by forest nomads during the Stone Age;
• A mud-wattle house indicative of pre-contemporary housing in Lopé;
• Three bungalows dedicated to: a) Forest economy (logging), b) Marantaceae forest and animals; c) Mature forest;
• A central building dedicated to the relationship between the cultural traditions of the people of Lope National Park and their environment.

Important Next Steps

The Environmental Education and Community Outreach project has three important goals to reach in the future:

• Expand activities into all of Gabon’s national parks;
• Work closely with the Ministry of Education and teachers to improve the situation in rural areas lacking educational resources and personnel;
• Support village associations and build on local ideas to realize village development projects.