In addition to its efforts to support research and innovation and its species conservation programs, the Lékédi Biodiversity Foundation focuses on education through raising awareness and training various audiences on biodiversity preservation and sustainable development.
Biodiversity Days: an annual event centered around Gabonese biodiversity
Launched in 2022, Biodiversity Days is an annual event organized by the Foundation. It offers a special opportunity for meetings, conferences, and exchanges for scientific experts, institutions, and national and international partners.
The latest edition in December 2024 focused on biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and environmental education. Television (Gabon Première and Gabon 24) and the national press highlighted it to the general public.
“Gabon Green Generation by Lékédi”: training tomorrow’s actors in the preservation of life
The “Gabon Green Generation by Lékédi” program is an environmental education project aimed at nearly 1,200 students from Bakouma and Moanda, in ninth and tenth grades. Its objectives are to:
- Raise young people’s awareness of biodiversity issues,
- Sensitize them to the challenges of climate change,
- Familiarize them with careers in sustainable development.
The ambition is to structure an educational project (covering biodiversity, ecosystem services, poaching, responsible agriculture, climate, waste, pollution, etc.) with the support of WWF Gabon, and to roll it out from the Haut Ogooué Province to the Estuaire Province.
Launched in November 2024, the program has allowed students to attend over 730 hours of classes on topics such as:
- Gabonese biodiversity and its threats ;
- Climate change ;
- Eco-responsible practices ;
- Waste management ;
- Careers in sustainable development.
An educational manual was specifically developed for this program, in collaboration with the IPN and WWF.
Encourage citizen science
City Nature Challenge
Every year in April, the Foundation takes part in the City Nature Challenge (CNC), an international scientific competition that highlights urban biodiversity. Born in 2016 from a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the CNC has become a global movement that invites citizens to observe, photograph, and document the wildlife and flora of their own cities. Thanks to the Foundation, Gabon has become the first Central African country to join this initiative.
The ambitions of the CNC align with those of the Foundation, which has already been focusing for several years on the comprehensive inventory of the fauna and flora of the Lékédi Park. This convergence of objectives has facilitated collaboration and allowed Bakoumba to anchor itself in an international dynamic of citizen science. Over three days, the participants, mostly middle school students, worked in small groups of three to six people to photograph biodiversity at different times of the day. Their observations were then shared on the iNaturalist platform, with a week dedicated to identifying the recorded species.
The collected data constitutes a valuable resource for monitoring and enhancing the biodiversity of Bakoumba. The event was also marked by awareness moments with students and the population, led by the teams from the Park and the Biodiversity Service.
Grand Bioblitz of the South (GBS)
The Foundation takes part in the Great Southern Bioblitz (GSB) every October, an international citizen science event that brings together thousands of participants across the Southern Hemisphere each year. The goal is simple and powerful: to document local biodiversity by photographing wildlife and plants, then sharing these observations on the iNaturalist platform to contribute to a global scientific database.
Whether they are experienced naturalists or simply curious individuals, everyone can participate and contribute to a better understanding of species distribution and the monitoring of ecosystem evolution. The GSB highlights the richness of life during the austral spring, a period of high biological activity, and serves as a remarkable tool for raising awareness and educating people about nature.
Awareness programs with the Ministry of Water and Forests and the NGO Conservation Justice
In partnership with the Ministry of Water and Forests, responsible for Human-Wildlife Conflict, the Lékédi Biodiversity Foundation supports awareness and monitoring missions conducted in villages around the park. Carried out by Water and Forests agents with the material and logistical support of the Foundation, these interventions aim to inform local communities about regulations concerning hunting, species protection, and forestry exploitation, while encouraging practices compatible with biodiversity conservation.
Alongside the NGO Conservation Justice, the Foundation also organizes activities in schools and villages. These awareness campaigns focus on the protection of wildlife and ecosystems, the recognition of endangered species, and the coexistence between humans and wildlife. They contribute to enhancing the understanding of conservation issues and fostering the involvement of local populations in the sustainable protection of natural heritage.