Conkouati-Douli National Park

Kouilou Region (West Congo), DR Congo

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Conkouati-Douli National Park, located in the Kouilou Region of the Republic of Congo near the border with Gabon, is the country's most biodiverse protected area, covering around 795,500 hectares including marine zones.

Established in 1999 and recognized as a UNESCO tentative World Heritage Site, the park features a diverse mix of coastal forests, wetlands, floodplains, lagoons, mangroves, and savannahs. It hosts rich wildlife including central chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas, forest elephants, buffaloes, leopards, hippos, manatees, nesting leatherback turtles, and numerous bird species.

The park is also essential for local communities, with roughly 7,800 people from various ethnic groups living within or around it, maintaining close cultural ties to the land. Conservation efforts focus on protecting the unique terrestrial and marine ecosystems and supporting community development, making it a vital refuge for Central African biodiversity and a key area for environmental research and eco-tourism.