Ivindo National Park (French: Parc national d'Ivindo) is a protected area in east-central Gabon, located in Central Africa. It covers part of the Ogooué-Ivindo and Ogooué-Lolo provinces. The park was established in August 2002 by then-President Omar Bongo during the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, along with Gabon’s 12 other land-based national parks. The park is most famous for the Kongou and Mingouli waterfalls of the Ivindo River, called the “wonders of Ivindo.” It also includes the Ipassa Makokou Biosphere Reserve and Langoué Baï, one of the five most important open areas in Central Africa’s forests. In 2021, the park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its rich variety of plant and animal life and its well-preserved tropical forest ecosystem.

Physical Geography

The park has several physical features, including the Ivindo River, which is the main tributary of the Ogooué River. Two mountains, Mount Kingué (749 meters) and Mount Ngouadi (870 meters), are also part of the park. The average rainfall is 1,672 mm, with the highest amounts occurring between September and December, and again between February and May. Thunderstorms happen seasonally and can sometimes create local tornadoes, especially on the Ipassa Plateau. These events might explain why the forest appears to look like a secondary forest. The average temperature is 23.9°C, measured at Makokou, a few kilometers from the northern park border. Temperatures change by about 3.3°C throughout the year.

Biodiversity

The park covers 300,000 hectares, most of which is covered by forests. These forests include the Atlantic coastal forest of Lower Guinea and semi-deciduous forests found in the central Congo Basin. The ancient forests in the southern part of the park are home to a population of Caesalpinioideae (peacock flower) that is found only in this area. This plant supports a wide variety of butterflies, birds, and mammals. These species include the western lowland gorilla, common chimpanzee, African forest buffalo, red river hog, sitatunga, and African golden cat. The park also protects one of the last relatively intact populations of forest elephants. Notable bird species in the park include the endangered grey-necked rockfowl and grey parrot, and more than 430 bird species have been recorded there.

The many streams and waterfalls in the national park have created a variety of freshwater species. Over 13 fish species live in the park, and 13 of these species are threatened. At least 7 species of Podostemaceae riverweeds are found in the area, and each waterfall pool may have unique aquatic plants. The Didji River also provides important habitat for the endangered slender-snouted crocodile.

History and Conservation

Since 2001, before the park was created, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has studied and protected the southern part of the park, focusing on Langoué Bai. This work has been supported by what is now the Gabonese National Parks Agency (ANPN). In 2004, WCS built a camp 3 kilometers from Langoué Bai. The camp includes housing and offices for researchers, helping scientists learn more about bai ecology and providing protection against poachers.

The Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale (IRET), a tropical research institute managed by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique et technologique (CENAREST), is located in the north of the park, 12 kilometers from the nearest city, Makokou. In the south, near Langoué Baï, the Langoué Research Station, managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is situated a few kilometers away.