• Gabon launched a $180 million, 10-year conservation plan to protect 34,000 km² of tropical forests.

• The “Gabon Infini” program will raise protected forest coverage from 15% to 30%.

• The plan combines $94 million in external financing and USD 86 million in public contributions.

The Gabonese government, backed by international donors, launched a 10-year conservation program to protect biodiversity and strengthen the green economy in the Congo Basin. The parties signed an agreement to fund the protection of 34,000 km² of tropical forests.

The program mobilises $94 million in external financing, including contributions from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Bezos Earth Fund. It also includes $86 million in public contributions over ten years.

The “Gabon Infini” plan establishes new protected areas, combats elephant poaching, and develops ecotourism. It relies on the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model, which ties the release of funds to the implementation of government-led environmental reforms.

Gabon plays a key ecological role in the Congo Basin. The country’s forests cover 90% of its territory and host more than half of Africa’s remaining forest elephants, along with a significant population of western lowland gorillas. The project aims to expand protected forest coverage from 15% to 30%, thereby strengthening ecosystem resilience and local economic stability.

This initiative follows a $500 million debt-for-nature swap signed in 2023 to protect coastal ecosystems. That deal highlighted the importance of innovative financial instruments for long-term conservation.

During COP30, several European governments and multilateral institutions announced EUR 2.5 billion over five years under the Belém Call. The package will support sustainable management of the Congo Basin, which also includes Cameroon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea. The funding will support technologies, training and partnerships that aim to curb deforestation and promote sustainable resource management.

This article was initially published in French by Olivier de Souza

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum