Gabon Forests

Gabon is located on the edge of the Congo Basin, the richest tropical forest complex in Africa in terms of fauna and flora. The forests of Gabon may rival those of South America. They house 8,000 plant species with an endemism rate possibly as high as 20%, and almost 200 mammal species and 600 bird species.

Although Gabon's economy - in comparison with others in Central Africa - bloomed in the past 40 years, this was only a result of heavy exploitation of natural resources: oil, minerals and forests. This obviously had environmental consequences. The FAO estimates the current rate of deforestation at 0.5 % per year.

Global Forest Watch works with local organizations in Gabon to collect and distribute information on forest development. Increased public access to information on forests and forest development holds public officials and forestry accountable and fosters better management of forest resources. Global Forest Watch Gabon published its first report in 2000: A First Look at Logging in Gabon, which provides maps and data on forests and logging. New maps and reports are expected in the upcoming months to better describe and understand the state of the Gabonese forests.

From an economic standpoint, the forest has always played a significant role in Gabon. Forest products were the main driver of the national economy, up until the 1970s when oil supplanted them. Today, they remain in second place and provides jobs almost 28% of the working population. Although timber exports are becoming slightly more diversified they still primarily consist of one species: Okoumé. Today, most forests have been allocated to logging concessions; but Gabon hopes that its new forest law, which promotes the concept of management plans and sustainable management, will reconcile forest development with environmental conservation.

Our products, and especially this website, aim at increasing the transparency of information available on forests. Using our Data Warehouse you can download, manipulate, and analyze our geographical data (GIS layers) for Gabon. You can also create your own maps using our Interactive Map Server and send us your comments.