As the host country of the 9th Conference on the Oceans in 2024, Greece is counting on the active participation of Gabon, in its capacity as « African champion of the environment ». This was the message delivered on Friday 13 January 2023 in Libreville by the head of Greek diplomacy, Nikos Dendias.

Greece recognises Gabon’s African leadership in biodiversity protection. Within the framework of the 9^th Conference on the Oceans (Our Ocean Greece 2024) that the South-East European country is organising in 2024, the Gabonese expertise and model are being sought. « Gabon is a major country on the international scene in terms of the environment. This is the case for the climate, but also for biodiversity and the oceans. Gabon was the first country in the world to commit to preserving 30% of its marine areas. This is why we are counting on its involvement in the perspective of the Conference on the Oceans that we will host next year, » explains a Greek diplomat who came to Libreville on 13 January 2023 to accompany his Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias.

This is the second meeting of its kind between the Gabonese and Greek authorities. The first took place on 25 July 2022 in Athens, Greece. The former Gabonese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michaël Moussa Adamo, took part in the preparatory meeting of the 9th international conference « Our Ocean Greece 2024 » alongside his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Greece, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the protection of nature. The aim of this preparatory meeting was to examine ways of dealing with the consequences of climate change, overfishing and marine pollution.

Gabon, a model country

As an exemplary country in terms of nature protection, Gabon was chosen in January 2017 to coordinate the African Heads of State and Government Committee on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). The fact that Gabon has been asked to host the 9th Ocean Conference is no coincidence. By 2022, the Gabonese government has created a network of 20 marine protected areas in Gabon, including 9 marine parks and 11 aquatic reserves covering 26% of Gabon’s marine space.

The ocean conference, which was first organised in 2014, was an initiative of then US Secretary of State and current presidential climate envoy John Kerry, « The Ocean is the source of everything, » he had argued.

The ocean is a vital buffer against climate change, absorbing about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions. More than 3.5 billion people depend on the oceans for their food security, while about 120 million people are directly employed in fishing and aquaculture activities. The majority of these workers live in developing countries, particularly small island developing states and least developed countries.

Fanta Mabo

A spotted hyena has recently resurfaced in the Mwagna National Park in north-eastern Gabon. It had been 20 years since a spotted hyena had been seen in the area. For Gabon’s National Parks Agency (ANPN), the return of the spotted hyena is very good news and demonstrates the efforts made in the fight against poaching.

Hyenas, which almost disappeared from Gabon’s forests, are gradually repopulating the country’s forests. In the Mwagna National Park, more precisely in the Baï de Momba, in the north-east of Gabon, a hyena was recently photographed by a « photo trap », a device that allows the evolution of wildlife in parks to be monitored. It has been 20 years since a spotted hyena was last seen in the area.

The news was made public by Gabon’s National Parks Agency (ANPN), during the celebration, on 4 September 2022, of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the network of 13 national parks in Gabon. « For 20 years, natural resources in Gabon’s national parks have been protected against various direct anthropic pressures, » says the ANPN on its Facebook page. To mark the event and further promote the richness of Gabon’s national parks and their history, the ANPN is planning a month-long series of activities.

The return of lions to the Plateaux Batéké Park

Unlike other protected areas, a national park has a tourism dimension. In Gabon, Law 003/2007 regulates the protection, management and development of national parks to enable better economic and social development of local communities. Gabon’s 13 national parks are scattered throughout the country and were created on 4 September 2002 by former President Omar Bongo Ondimba. 

In addition to hyenas, the creation of these parks has led to the return of biodiversity in certain areas of Gabon. « In recent years, we have seen the return of species that were locally considered to be in danger of extinction, notably the lion (Plateaux Batéké National Park, in the south-east of the country) and the hippopotamus (Lopé National Park, in the centre of the country), » explains the ANPN.

Fanta Mabo