Gabon’s tropical forest, a protected setting

An almost infinite green horizon. In Gabon, 90% of the country is covered in tropical forest. It is more than 22 million hectares. A treasure that is protected, closely watched every day. Loïc Makaga leads a team of 10 researchers, at the bedside of all the trees. According to the researchers’ data, these trees help retain nearly 100 million tonnes of carbon, which makes Gabon one of the few countries in the world to absorb more CO2 than it emits.

Logging is not prohibited

“This forest is life, it is humanity. It allows the planet to breathe“, says Loïc Makaga, head of the Lopé National Park research site (Gabon). Hundreds of thousands of buffaloes, antelopes and elephants live in this setting. An extremely rich ecosystem, and yet, it can Surprisingly, logging is not prohibited. Trees are felled every day. The timber sector is the second largest employer in the country. But the rules are very strict, so as not to put pressure on the forest. According to the scientists, preserving and restoring the world’s forests would reduce global warming by nearly 30%.