Final Report: Central Africa Forest Ecosystems Conservation (CAFEC) - Sangha-Trinational (TNS) – Nouabalé-Ndoki

The landscape is home to globally significant populations of large mammals, including forest elephants, western lowland gorillas, and central chimpanzees. The Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) is the single largest protected area in the TNS landscape, covering approximately 400,000 hectares and boasting completely intact biological diversity. The NNNP has never been logged, and its pristine condition is a result of concerted conservation efforts by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Government of Congo. WCS has been assisting the Congolese Government in managing wildlife and its habitat in national parks, reserves, and buffer zones since 1991. In 2013, WCS signed an agreement with the Congolese Government to create a Public Private Partnership (PPP) for managing the NNNP, with WCS designated as the head of the Park Management Unit (PMU) for the next 25 years. The TNS landscape is divided into five conservation macrozones in the Republic of the Congo, with the NNNP at its center. The park's buffer zone consists of four forestry concessions, and its headquarters is located in Bomassa, with a secondary base in Makao and the nearest major urban settlement and logistical hub in the city of Ouesso along the Sangha River. Ecological surveys conducted by WCS in 2016 and 2017 estimated that the NNNP is home to more than 5,000 apes, including 2,500 western lowland gorillas. When including the buffer zone, the estimates rise to 30,000 apes, including 23,000 gorillas. This makes the TNS landscape a critical area for conservation efforts, with WCS and its partners working to protect the region's unique biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Sangha Trinational World Heritage Site is a critical component of the TNS landscape, with the Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, the Dzanga and Ndoki National Parks in the Central African Republic, and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of the Congo. The site is recognized for its exceptional biodiversity and ecosystem services, and its conservation is crucial for maintaining the health of the region's forests and wildlife populations. The TNS CARPE III agreement, signed in 2013, aimed to strengthen protected area management capacity, implement land use management plans, enhance law enforcement and prosecution, promote sustainable agriculture, energy, and livelihood alternatives, and reduce the impact of industrial-scale production and extraction by promoting Best Management Practices (BMPs). The agreement also aimed to promote tourism and REDD+ financing mechanisms, and to reduce the impact of human-wildlife conflict. The agreement was implemented by WCS, with the Ministry for Forest Economy (MEF) and the Agence Congolaise de la Faune et des Aires Protégées (ACFAP) as major counterpart organizations. The program was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Cooperative Agreement #AID-660-A-13-0007. The TNS CARPE III agreement was a critical component of the conservation efforts in the TNS landscape, with WCS and its partners working to strengthen protected area management capacity, implement land use management plans, and promote sustainable agriculture, energy, and livelihood alternatives. The agreement also aimed to reduce the impact of industrial-scale production and extraction by promoting BMPs, and to promote tourism and REDD+ financing mechanisms. The program's success was measured through a range of indicators, including the number of protected areas managed, the number of communities engaged in sustainable livelihoods, and the number of hectares of forest protected. The program also aimed to reduce the impact of human-wildlife conflict, and to promote the conservation of key species, including forest elephants, western lowland gorillas, and central chimpanzees. The TNS CARPE III agreement was a critical component of the conservation efforts in the TNS landscape, with WCS and its partners working to strengthen protected area management capacity, implement land use management plans, and promote sustainable agriculture, energy, and livelihood alternatives