• Lopé
• Monts de Cristal
• Plateaux Batéké
• Waka
60
5,000
Agriculture (fruit trees, gardens, and
composting)
Color and ink making Drawing
Literature and Traditional Stories
Medicinal plants,
Palm & Almond Oil making
Sculpture
Weaving
The Government of Gabon , Peace Corps, Ecofac, Columbus Zoo, Canadian Embassy , United States Embassy
Since 2002.
“…We have no schools. We have
young men who have families and there are no jobs. What choice do
they have but to hunt? We need education to open doors for our
children.”
Name: Eric Chehoski
Title: Program Officer Outreach - Gabon
Email:
echehoski[AT SIGN]wcsgabon[DOT]org
Address :
Wildlife Conservation Society,
BP 7847,
Libreville,
Gabon.
For more information, see www.wcs.org/africa
Wildlife Conservation Society International
Conservation,
Africa Program,
2300 Southern Blvd.,
Bronx, NY 10460, USA
The Wildlife Conservation Society's International Conservation program saves wildlife and wild lands by understanding and resolving critical problems that threaten key species and large, wild ecosystems around the world.
• Site-based conservation
• Research
• Training and capacity-building
• New model development
• Informing policy
• Linking zoo-based and field-based conservation
Contributions to this project can be sent to the WCS Africa Program in NY (address above)
© Eric Chehoski and © Marie-Paule Mboumba
Gabon, as an equatorial country covered with rain forest, conjures images of wildlife and biodiversity. These images, and the recognition of its unique position environmentally in the world, led to the creation of 13 National Parks. The Parks could be an important part in the future of Gabon . Since 2002, the WCS has taken the lead a role in teaching primary school youth about biodiversity, ecology, and conservation systems. The program uses education as a means of entry in villages and creates a positive atmosphere to explain the benefits of conservation and the National Parks.
The people who live in villages near the National Parks represent diverse ethnic groups all rich in culture that corresponds to their natural environment. The long-term survival of these lesser known traditions is intricately linked with natural habitats. The Outreach Program believes that children who grow up in villages are the best equipped to become park managers in the future. They spend their formative years learning forest skills first hand. Environmental education provides a context that reinforces traditional teachings with practical applicable activities. Children who grow up with positive attitudes towards the forest will be more apt to guarding it when they become adults. And adults who recognize the importance of education will be more apt to support the National Parks because they provide a needed service.
National Parks create boundaries where villagers can or cannot conduct subsistence activities. If these boundaries create conflict in preventing locals from maintaining or improving their quality of life, the National Parks will be looked upon as a negative influence. Popular support for the Parks will erode, and their survival will be jeopardized. Schools in rural areas are a low national priority. There are not enough teachers for village schools and there are often prolonged absences due to pay difficulties. As a result, many villagers send their children to cities and much traditional knowledge is in danger of dying out.
© Eric Chehoski
WCS Outreach has developed an environmental education curriculum that includes classroom support and practical activities for rural schools located around National Parks in Gabon . The program emphasizes cultural values and indigenous knowledge of ecosystems. The curriculum uses the environment to teach basic educational skills (reading, writing, and math), and instill a spirit of conservation in Gabonese youth. We work closely with elders in villages, recruiting local artisans to teach with the program. Both educational and cultural activities are filmed with the participation of villagers for archives, entertainment, and promotion.
The Eco-Musée is a terrain that interweaves indoor and outdoor space with the varied elements of Lopé's forest, savanna, and people simultaneously educating and stimulating the imaginations of visitors and students. It is an ideal setting for both environmental education classes and an introduction to Lopé and its forest for eco-tourists. It has the following infrastructure in place:
The Environmental Education and Community Outreach project has three important steps to make in the future: