Waka National Park

One of 13 new national parks created in Gabon in 2002, Waka protects over 1,000 km2 of montane rain forest in the Chaillu Massif. The impressive Ikobey Rift Valley, with its steep forested walls rising up to 1000m from the valley floor, runs the length of the park and contributes to the diversity of habitats. The main biodiversity value of Waka National Park, believed to be a 'Pleistocene refuge', is visible in its many plants and smaller animals, many of which are likely unknown to science. The park also protects important populations of key rain forest mammals such as elephants, gorillas, and chimpanzees.

With the Gabonese National Park system being so new, WCS’s activities to date have focused on capacity building, training, baseline-work with local communities and biological surveys inside the park. The recent acquisition of a former logging camp at Oghoubi as a park headquarters and training centre is a particular asset.

The Human Aspect

Waka National Park is situated in one of the most remote areas of Gabon. Surveys before and after park creation indicate that the protected area is completely uninhabited by humans. Nevertheless, the park is situated in a culturally diverse landscape: the Mitsogho people, who are believed to be the originators of the bwiti religion, and the Babongo, semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, live at the periphery of the park. Far from the urban centers of Gabon, these communities depend greatly on the forest for material and cultural reasons, and possess a wealth of knowledge about local ecosystems. Having seen the impacts of industrial logging on their forest, local communities strongly support conservation principles; Building on this and making sure that conservation occurs in a culturally sensitive manner are our priorities. Key activities include:

Developing and expanding the pilot outreach program based on traditional understandings of the forest; Local capacity building to ensure that any eventual tourism activities are implemented in a culturally sensitive manner.

Threats

Immediate threats include commercial hunting and ivory poaching in logging concessions surrounding Waka National Park. In the medium to long term, maintaining local and national political will for conservation is the biggest priority.

WCS activities

• A comprehensive training program for park staff, including future managers, park rangers and outreach personnel.
• Infrastructure development at the Oghoubi camp to create a functioning park headquarters and a base for research and training for the next generation of park staff.
• A detailed program of land-use mapping in communities adjacent to the park to assess any potential resource use conflicts.
• Baseline data collection on the economic strategies and standard of living of communities adjacent to the park (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 delimitation and regular boundary surveys to detect and deter incursions by loggers.
• A pilot environmental education program, using traditional knowledge and understandings of the forest as a basis for involving local communities in conservation.

Important next steps 

• Continue working towards a management plan for the park, including a zoning plan and tourism blueprint.
• Work with forestry companies operating around the park to put into place "best practice" wildlife management measures.
• Develop and expand the environmental education program to all communities adjacent to the park, particularly the Babongo villages.
• Continue capacity-building work with communities adjacent to the park to ensure that conservation and tourism takes into account local concerns.
• Promote the Oghoubi base as a research site and support applied research that benefit to park management.
• Expand collaboration with Gabonese universities and other training institutions.
• Find sustainable funding solutions, particularly for outreach work.