Site Ramsar des Monts Birougou

Site Ramsar des Monts Birougou. 02/02/07; Ngounié, Ogooué-lolo; 536,800 ha; 001°58'S 012°17'E. National Park. Comprising forests, swamps, savannah, falls, caves, valleys, and mountainous zones between 800 and 900m, which are the source of the Nyanga and Ngounié rivers and their main tributaries. The woody and non-woody products of the forest provide resources for feeding, building, clothing and construction of artistic objects. The diversity of this ecosystem gives it a rich flora as well as one of the most remarkable faunas in Africa. Primates are dominant, with about 20 different species found in the Birougou Mountains. The endangered Gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), the vulnerable sun-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus solatus), mandril (Mandrillus sphinx), the West African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) and the savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana africana), amongst others, are found here. The area is noted for its cultural and religious value in the country. Fishing with chemical products, over-exploitation of forest and mining practiced on the outskirts pose a threat. In the absence of a management plan, the Advisory Council for National Parks in Gabon is making plans for putting in place certain management activities such as evaluation of land use zones by the population and sensitization of local administrative authorities and the population on national parks. Ramsar site no. 1654. Most recent RIS information: 2006.

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