Loango National Park is a
national park in western
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...
. It protects diverse coastal habitats, including part of the
Iguéla Lagoon, the only significant example of a typical western African
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
system that is protected within a national park.
Situated between the
Nkomi and
Ndogo Lagoons, Loango National Park is considered one of the best spots on Africa's western coast. The naturalist,
Mike Fay, called Loango "Africa's Last Eden", and this is where
Michael "Nick" Nichols from
National Geographic took his well-known pictures of surfing
hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
es. Both men call Loango the 'Land of surfing hippos'. The park spans of
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
, beach, forest, and
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
s. Loango National Park offers extensive panoramas and the opportunity to observe elephants, buffalos, hippopotamuses, gorillas and leopards venturing onto the white sand beaches.
After South Africa, the world's largest concentration and variety of whales and dolphins can be found right off the Loango coast. The area has over of uninhabited coastline with
humpback and
killer whale
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
s. Loango is renowned worldwide as a site for
tarpon
Tarpons are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans.
Species a ...
of record size, as well as many other large saltwater fish.
The
World Conservation Union
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classed Loango National Park as a faunal reserve and protected area for conservation.
History
In 1956, the first regional faunal reserves were created in and around Loango National Park to promote sustainable use of the area’s wildlife and wildlands. In November 2002, President
Omar Bongo Ondimba created 13 new national parks in Gabon, putting the country firmly on the map. Altogether, the 13 parks created represent 10% of the landmass of Gabon, one of them being Loango National Park. Very few villages currently exist within the park, as most are located on the opposite bank of the Ngove Lagoon. As such, the park is nearly devoid of people and home only to a vast and spectacular array of terrestrial, avian and marine wildlife. While some of these animals inhabit specific ecological niches to which they have been adapting over time immemorial, others such as elephants and buffalos range across several landscapes.
Tourism and conservation
Rombout Swanborn, a pioneering Dutch investor in "Conservation Tourism", developed ''SCD'' (''Société de Conservation de Developpement''). Research, park management and educational activities are performed in partnership with WCS. He also created ''Africa's Eden'', developing the infrastructure and logistics to provide high-end nature tourism experiences in remote parts of Gabon (and from 2006 in São Tomé and Príncipe) as well, based on the concept "Tourism pays for Conservation".
People
The human inhabitants of the Loango area remain dependent on the natural resources that surround them for their daily needs. Today, although some Gabonese citizens have migrated toward the urban centres or taken up employment within modern industries, such as oil and timber production, most individuals living in traditional villages still depend heavily upon their natural surroundings for their day-to-day needs.
Village-dwelling peoples use a slash-and-burn agricultural technique and grow several domesticated plant species, including manioc, peanuts, and mustard greens. Women are responsible for most of the gardening, save for the preliminary felling and clearing of trees and bush. Men make their living by fishing or hunting. Fishermen use long nets, throw nets, gill nets, long lines, baited hooks, fish traps and spears to catch fish and shrimp. Land crabs are caught by hand. Traditional hunting gear such as bows and arrows, spears, deadfall and spring traps have been replaced by high-caliber rifles and shotguns. Several other food products are harvested wild in the forest, savannah, or from the beaches, such as turtle eggs.
Images
Image:Gabon Loango National Park Elephant with GPS tracker fitted.jpeg, Elephant with GPS collar, Loango National Park
Image:Gabon Loango National Park Elephant with offspring.jpeg, Elephant with offspring roaming
Image:Gabon Loango National Park Southern Camping Ground bar with a view.jpeg, Southern Park Camp Site bar with a view
Image:Gabon Loango National Park Wild Buffalo Single.jpeg, Single Wild Buffalo within the park roaming
References
External links
Wildlife Conservation SocietyVirtual Tour of the National Parks*
{{authority control
National parks of Gabon
Protected areas established in 2002
2002 establishments in Gabon
Ogooué-Maritime Province