Conkouati-Douli National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Conkouati-Douli National Park | |
|---|---|
  Map of the Republic of the Congo | |
| Location | Kouilou, Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 3°54′18″S 11°28′12″E / 3.905°S 11.47°E[1] |
| Area | 5,049.5 km2[3] |
| Established | 14 August 1999 |
| Governing body | Ministry for National Forestry Commission |
The Conkouati-Douli National Park is a UNESCO-recognised coastal national park in the Republic of the Congo. The park's main activities include community outreach, biological research and tourism development. It was established by the Presidential Decree No. 99–136 on 14 August 1999.
Conkouati-Douli National Park is managed by the Ministry of Forest Economy and Sustainable Development (MEFDD), in partnership with the NGO Noé, a non-profit conservation organisation, created in 2001.
In addition to the Ministry of Forest Economy, institutional partners include the Congolese Agency for Wildlife and Protected Areas (ACFAP), Ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock (MAEP), and Environment, Tourism, Scientific Research, National Navy and the Judiciary. Concerning the technical and financial partners, there are, in addition to private financiers, WCS, African Parks Network, JGI Congo, HELP/Beauval, Renatura, ESI Congo, the European Union, AFD and USFWS.
History
The Conkouati-Douli National Park was established in 1999. However, it has been part of an active area of conservation since at least 1980 and includes areas of the former old reserve of Conkouati. The original reserve covered nearly 300,000 ha but was reduced to 144,294 ha by a legal provision in 1989.[4]
From 1994 to 1999 the IUCN recognised that the area was critically endangered and collaborated with PROGECAP-GEF Congo with financing from the World Bank in agreement with the Congolese authorities until June 1999.[4] The responsibilities of the two partners are recorded in a memorandum of understanding (20-year management mandate, signed on 13 April 2021).
Since being promoted to a national park, Conkouati-Douli has been managed by the Ministry for National Forestry Commission in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) since 1999.,[4] until the conclusion of their partnership in 2018.
This transition paved the way for Noé, a conservation organisation, to step in and continue the park's conservation initiatives beginning in 2019. The culmination of these efforts was marked by the signing of a public-private partnership agreement (PPP) in 2021, signaling a renewed commitment to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and community involvement within the Conkouati-Douli National Park
The park is an important part of native local culture. Some 7,800 people lived in and around the park divided into 31 villages. The coastal residents are mainly Vili people, an ethnic group of fishers and traders that settled there in the 13th century. The villages along the forest road contain a mix of over 30 different ethnic groups who came with the industrial forestry sector and settled fewer than 100 years ago.
Geography
The park occupies an area of 7,955 km2 (3,071 sq mi), including 4,121 km2 (1,591 sq mi) of marine park and 3,833 km2 (1,480 sq mi) of land in the Kouilou Department, straddling the districts of Nzambi and Madingo Kayes. It is located near the villages of Cotovindou and Louléma along the border between Congo and Gabon, at the point of intersection with National Route 5.[5] It is divided into three zones:
- An integrally protected zone that is only legally accessible to park staff, guided paying tourists and researchers with valid permits;
- An eco-development zone containing all legal human habitations, in which residents are allowed to use natural resources sustainably for subsistence, and in which industrial exploitation is allowed with the agreement of the appropriate government institutions;
- A 5 km wide buffer zone around the park designated for environmental education, sensitisation efforts and socio-economic activities.
