Lake Oguemoué

Reclaiming ancestral land for community forests in Gabon

Spearheaded by our partners, Organisation Ecologique des Lacs et de l’Ogooué (OELO) and local sustainable fishing co-ops, the ‘Our Forest, Our Future’ project aims to create community forests around lake Oguemoué, Gabon.

Irresponsible logging operators

In recent history, ancestral forests in the Bas Ogooué Lake Region, Gabon have been encompassed in logging concessions leased to foreign companies. As we have seen before in our partnerships, the profit and greed from some of these companies has come at an unjust cost for the local communities of Oguemoué.

Losing forest

The local communities of Oguemoué have borne witness to the degradation of their forest, their livelihoods and lost free access and control of their forest resources, at the hands of an irresponsible foreign company.

As Oguemoué lost the largest of their trees and animal sightings were becoming fewer and farther between, it was clear that forest exploitation at this rate will leave little for future generations.

The solution:

Protecting forest now, for the future

Our Forest, Our Future

OELO and the ‘Our Forest, Our Future’ project has one ultimate goal, to improve forest health and biodiversity for future generations, by empowering local communities, like the villages of Oguemoué to take back control of their ancestral forests.

Our Forest, Our Future

Community-led

This community-led forest initiative aims to improve the quality of life for Oguemoué residents by creating sustainable management plans that allow the community to legally own, access and use their ancestral forest.

Sustainable management

The sustainable management plans include innovative solutions; reducing the illegal bushmeat trade, promoting non-timber forest products and sustainable livelihood projects.

Exciting sightings

Due to the hard work of OELO and the local communities, there are already positive signs of success in the region. This dry season, record numbers of elephants and hippopotamus were recorded making use of the area’s lakes and rivers. Where 10 years ago you may have been fortunate to count a handful of hippos on the river leading to the lake, this year their numbers reached 30.

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Support local communities in taking back control over the protection and sustainable management of their ancestral forests.

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