Ivindo National Park

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

Ivindo National Park is the main protected area representative of the forests of the interior plateaus of Gabon. It is characterized by the Ivindo and the Djidji wetlands which form a virgin and highly “picturesque” complex of waterfalls, rapids and quiet reaches with deep black waters, in a setting of intact forests. These forests include a great diversity of formations, notably very old Caesalpinioideae forests, unique in Central Africa and throughout the Guinean-Congolese domain. The property, together with two other protected areas, is considered one of the most irreplaceable protected areas in the world for the conservation of mammals, birds and amphibians. It is a natural refuge for many rare, threatened or endemic species of the region of the Gabonese interior highlands which constitutes one of the four zones, very different from each other, of the biogeographical province of Lower Guinea, very different from the forests of the Congolese region.

Criterion (ix): Ivindo National Park combines large areas of intact climatical Caesalpinioideae forests and undisturbed river ecosystems. The property has exceptional value due to its great diversity of forest formations, the presence of large areas of very old Caesalpinioideae forests, and monodominant Julbernardia pellegriniana or Eurypetalum batesii forests, all of which are unique in Lower Guinea and throughout all of central Africa. Covering nearly 300,000 ha of this forest ecosystem and surrounded by a buffer zone of over 182,000 ha, the property can be considered exceptional, providing enough space for evolutionary processes to continue undisturbed.

The very old Caesalpinioideae forests represent a characteristic stage of forest evolution in Central Africa but have disappeared elsewhere in Lower Guinea.  They do not occur elsewhere in the Guinean-Congolese region because the high diversity of Caesalpinioideae is unique to Lower Guinea. This forest ecosystem is also representative of the Lower Guinean or Atlantic forests of the Gabonese interior highlands, and more particularly of the​​ Ivindo Landscape Area which very likely forms a separate and very rich phytogeographical entity within Lower Guinea. The great diversity of the Caesalpinioideae forests of the inner plateau is also reflected in the fact that, at the site level, the forests of the western edge differ, by a proportion of 60%, from those of the eastern edge. The presence of the Langoué Baï and grassy meadows identical to those of the inselbergs, contribute very largely to the uniqueness of the region.

This intact forest ecosystem helps preserve the integrity of the black waters of the Ivindo which are home to a swarm of some fifteen species of fish of the genus Paramormyrops (Mormyridae) – the only swarm of species found in rivers worldwide belonging to this family. It is one of the world's best examples of speciation in open waters in which the speciation process takes place at a very high rate.

Criterion (x): The rivers of the property are home to ichthyofauna of global importance and characterized by exceptional endemism, an extremely diversified flora and habitats of critical importance for the conservation of mammals, birds and amphibians. The intact forest ecosystem of Ivindo National Park and the Ivindo Landscape Area, with its diversity of habitats and, especially, its very old Caesalpinioideae forests, unique in west-central Africa and the entire Guinean-Congolese domain, is home to 161 plant species of high conservation value, 129 species endemic to Gabon and 35 species endemic to Ivindo. Ivindo National Park alone is home to 81 plant and 39 animal threatened species, including the Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), the Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), the Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), the Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), and the Slender-snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus).

In terms of zoology, this ecosystem has 126 species of mammals, including seven species of primates endemic to Lower Guinea. In addition, the Forest Elephant population is relatively large and includes many males with very large tusks, which is becoming very rare in much of Central Africa. Ivindo National Park avifauna includes 190 (68%) of the 278 forest species native to the Guinean-Congolese region and five of the six species endemic to Lower Guinea. The entomofauna includes 528 species of diurnal butterflies (probably 800-1000) many of which appear to be restricted to very old-growth Caesalpinioideae forests.

Regarding the Kongou Falls, they are home to seven species of Podostemaceae, very specialized, rare and very vulnerable plants that are everywhere threatened by the construction of dams and the regulation of rivers. These seven species represent both 44% of the Podostemaceae flora of Gabon and the four known genera of the country. Ivindo is also home to 45 species of fish endemic to Lower Guinea, 13 of which are endemic to Gabon. The Ivindo River is home to 16 fish exclusively native to it, and to a particular wealth of Cyprinodontiformes and Mormyridae, with very specialized and fragile species of the genus Ivindomyrus, named after the Ivindo River. A dozen species of slightly electric fish of the genus Paramormyrops (Mormyridae) form swarms of freshwater fish that are globally rare.

Integrity

The property covers an area of ​​298,758 ha and exhibits exceptional integrity. It is totally uninhabited and is approximately 90% intact. It is part of a larger forest ecosystem of nearly 2,000,000 ha, located between the towns of Makokou, Ovan, Booué and Lastoursville. The average human population density is about 2.5 inhabitants/km² and the areas outside the park are mostly composed of forest concessions, of which two out of eleven concessions in the buffer zone are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified at the time of inscription. However, these concessions must leave intact a 500 m wide strip along the boundaries of the property. Logging operations are already responsible for the introduction of the invasive ant Wassmannia auropunctata into the property and have also created access tracks that open up previously inaccessible areas. Access roads should be closed after the end of operation.

By the size and the nature of its topography and hydrographic system, its phytogeographic and ecological gradients, and its connectivity with other protected areas — Minkébé National Park to the north and Mwagné National Park to the east —, this ecosystem is able to withstand climatic changes, at least those predicted by current assessments. In addition, in the framework of the land-use plan, the property is located completely outside of the areas designated for agricultural or agro-industrial developments (palm oil tree). Admittedly, the connectivity of the property with other protected areas should be maintained so that the protection of large mammals such as the Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is ensured.

Protection and management requirements

The property benefits from long-term legal protection conferred by Decree 612/PR/MEFEPEPN of 30 August 2002, which classifies Ivindo National Park and sets out its boundaries in Article 2. The width of the buffer zone of a national park is set at 5 km, in accordance with Article 77 of Law 16/2001 of 31 December 2001 on the Forestry Code in Gabon, and more specifically by Order 118/MEFEPEPN of 1 March 2004 on the regulation of forestry, mining, agricultural, aquacultural, hunting and tourism activities within a buffer zone. The property is protected as a National Park (IUCN Category II).

Although the boundaries of the property are clearly defined, known to local populations and regulated, threats such as poaching, illegal logging and illegal fishing persist. Therefore, the fight against poaching is an unavoidable necessity. Additional adequate measures have been taken to eliminate these threats, notably by intensifying surveillance missions to ensure the protection of the property. Although the property is large enough to effectively conserve its values, it remains important to strive to protect the Caesalpinioideae forests even beyond the property, as there are also large stands of this ancient forest located outside the property, crucial for a fauna whose living space extends beyond the limits of the National Park, as evidenced by the Forest Elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis). Similarly, maintaining the freshwater biodiversity of Ivindo National Park, home to many fragile species, will depend on ensuring protection from potential development impacts, both upstream and downstream of the property.

The only activity allowed outside of management, research and tourism, is artisanal fishing, but this is strictly limited to a section of the Ivindo which forms the boundary of the national park, and to fishermen of the village of Loa- Loah. These activities are provided for by law, mainly by Law 16/2001 of 31 December 2001 on the Forestry Code in Gabon, Law No. 003/2007 of 27 August 2007 on National Parks, and Order 118/MEFEPEPN of 1 March 2004 on the regulation of forestry, mining, agricultural, aquacultural, hunting and tourism activities within a buffer zone. It is important to ensure a monitoring of the scale of these fishing activities, which is an ancient practice, to ensure that it remains sustainable in terms of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.

Ivindo National Park is managed by National Agency for National Parks (ANPN) established by Law No. 003/2007 of 27 August 2007 relating to National Parks. Considerable and sustained efforts are made to ensure the effective coordination and harmonization of policies and practices related to the management of the protected area. The property has a management plan since 2016 which will be updated every five years.

Logging is allowed in the buffer zone, provided that an environmental and social impact assessment proves that there is no negative impact on the National Park. Its implementation is selective: one tree cut per hectare. Gabon is engaged in a FSC forest certification process for all eleven concessions. At the time of inscription, two of these concessions already have FSC certification. All the forest concessions constitute de facto a buffer zone aimed at combating poaching by facilitating access control.

Ivindo National Park receives financial and technical support from the State and its development partners, such as the French Development Agency (AFD), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), as well as in the framework of its participation in the Central African Forest Initiative, a funding agreement with Norway. The management of the property requires sufficient and long-term funding, which is ensured by its own resources and contributions from other partners.