Gabon — Economic Development in Protected Areas (Valorisation des Aires Protegees) (EC; 2002-2005)

The programme has three components of which two are being implemented by The Environment and Development Group.  EDG is providing institutional support to the President’s Office, through the National Parks’ Council, for the development of legal and institutional structures for the new National Parks network. 

At the same time the project is helping to build capacity for  revenue generation through ecotourism, implementing pilot ecotourism projects in the Gamba complex of protected areas, and supporting the emergence of local tourism-based economic activities and community enterprises.

Significant achievements of the project to date have included the drafting of a National Parks Law setting out the legal status and institutional arrangements for the Parks, coordinating and facilitating Gabon’s inaugural attendance at the World Travel Market, providing training in international standards for tour guides and the hospitality industry, ongoing facilitation of a system-wide management and business planning process for the entire parks network and provision of capacity building support for international marketing at the national tourism office.