Conservation of Transboundary Biodiversity in the Minkebe-Odzala-Dja Interzone in Gabon, Congo, and Cameroon

The long-term development objective (goal) of the project is to conserve globally significant biodiversity in the Congo Basin through integration of conservation objectives into the national and regional sustainable development plans in the TRIDOM. In order to contribute to this long-term goal, the specific objective, or project objective, will be to maintain the ecological functions and connectivity of TRIDOM, and ensure long-term conservation of its protected area system through integrated, sustainable and participatory management in the interzone between the protected areasThrough this specific objective, the project will promote a matrix of land uses, which, when integrated across the area, both conserve globally significant biodiversity through sustainable use and safeguards it through set-asides in production forest. The project will make a substantial contribution towards strengthening the system of protected areas both at national and regional levels, by designing and implementing a cost-effective model for the management of a mosaic of different uses which will not only increase the landscape resilience, but clearly consolidate the overall protected area system. Collectively, the activities undertaken will demonstrate cost-effective and replicable ways and means for facilitating the broad-based participation of communities, the private sector and other key actors in the project area, and reconcile protected area management with sustainable use objectives and production systems and ultimately significantly improve prospects for sustainability of the protected area systems at the regional level.