Country/Region: Republic of the Congo
Partner: Noé
The Conkouati-Douli National Park is the most ecologically diverse park in Congo, hosting populations of iconic and threatened wildlife of Central Africa. The Park offers some of Africa’s most beautiful landscapes and pristine habitats of the equatorial forest, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and intersected by a meandering river, creating unique wetlands and magnificent lagoons, surrounded by forests and savannas.
This coastal protected area of 504’950 hectares consists of a marine and a terrestrial part. In April 2021, Noé signed a 20-year agreement with the Congolese government to manage the park. Through this project, Fondation Segré is supporting Noé’s work in Congo with the overarching goal to ensure sustainable management of the parks coastal resources by increasing the knowledge of key species, improve protection measures and establish a long-term artisanal fisheries strategy benefiting local communities.
The project’s specific objectives are the following:
- Set up a marine surveillance system by mid-2023
- Establish a long term participative artisanal fisheries strategy by end of 2023
- Develop and start implementation of a monitoring plan for key coastal species by the beginning of 2023
The project focus on the coastal areas of the park will benefit Atlantic humpback dolphin, African manatee and five species of marine turtles whereas numerous charismatic mammals such as forest elephants, pangolins, gorillas and chimpanzees will benefit from increased protection activities in the terrestrial part of the park.
