Gabon launches a US$200 million conservation drive through Gabon Infini
The Government of Gabon has formally launched Gabon Infini, a long-term conservation and development initiative designed to mobilize up to US$200 million over the next decade for biodiversity protection and community investment.
The Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative is being developed with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Enduring Earth and other partners. It is intended to strengthen Gabon’s protected-area network while creating economic opportunities for communities living in and around the country’s natural landscapes.
Gabon Infini will support the country’s commitment to protect 30% of its terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems by 2030, known as its “30x30x30” target. The programme is built around a national conservation and community development plan that proposes an additional 3.7 million hectares of protected areas and improved management of approximately 3.8 million hectares already under protection.
Gabon’s Vice-President of the Government, Herman Immongault, said the initiative would place communities at the centre of the country’s development strategy, and it also aligns with their 2026-2030 National Growth and Development plan.
“By creating sustainable local economic opportunities, securing the livelihoods of our rural populations, and turning biodiversity into a strategic pillar of national development, Gabon Infini serves as a true engine of prosperity for our communities as a whole.” He added.
The programme will finance projects focused on sustainable forestry, ecotourism, reducing human-wildlife conflict and helping communities adapt to climate-related challenges such as coastal erosion and flooding.
The Fonds de Préservation de la Biodiversité au Gabon (FPBG), an independent conservation trust fund, will manage the funding and channel it toward conservation and sustainable development projects.
TNC CEO Jennifer Morris said the programme reflects the importance of involving communities in long-term conservation efforts.
“Throughout the course of establishing Gabon Infini, we have seen unwavering commitment from the Government of Gabon to the needs of community-led conservation and an urgency to protect the incredible diversity of life among its dense tropical forests and extensive freshwater and marine ecosystems. As one of the first countries to commit to protecting not only 30% of its land and ocean but also freshwater ecosystems, Gabon stands apart in its commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework. We are proud to partner and support the long-term financing made possible through this collaboration with Enduring Earth.” She said.
Gabon is home to major populations of forest elephants and lowland gorillas, as well as chimpanzees, African grey parrots, sea turtles and Atlantic humpback dolphins. The country’s ecosystems are facing growing pressure from climate change and increasing demand for resources including minerals, oil, timber and agricultural products.
TNC country director Stanislas Stephen Mouba said the new financing mechanism could provide long-term support for protecting Gabon’s biodiversity.
“Alongside their importance for local communities, Gabon’s rich ecosystems play host to unique species including more than half the world’s remaining forest elephants and one quarter of surviving lowland gorillas, alongside other iconic wildlife like African grey parrots, Atlantic humpback dolphins, chimpanzees, crocodiles and sea turtles. Building on the impact of 2023’s US$163 million, ocean-focused Nature Bonds project, also facilitated by TNC, the funding secured via Gabon Infini PFP will help conserve these natural riches for decades to come, benefitting people and planet alike.”
FPBG CEO Christine Yasmine Tchoua said the fund would focus on turning conservation commitments into projects with measurable benefits for local communities.
“As a financing instrument dedicated to conservation, the Fonds de Préservation de la Biodiversité au Gabon (FPBG) is proud to support the Gabon Infini program and reinforce the Gabonese Government’s efforts in protected area management and the promotion of sustainable development. Our mission will be to mobilize and channel these funds toward concrete, high-impact actions on the ground while reconciling ecosystem protection with socio-economic development. This mechanism, unique in Central Africa, will benefit local communities to turn our commitments for Gabon into tangible achievements.”
The Gabon Infini programme is expected to receive financial support from a group of philanthropic and international conservation funders, including the Bezos Earth Fund, Global Environment Facility, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Minderoo Foundation and other charitable organisations.
The initiative is the ninth Project Finance for Permanence programme supported by Enduring Earth. The partnership said its PFP projects have so far helped secure the long-term conservation of 245 million hectares of land and water and mobilized more than US$2 billion in sustainable financing across several countries.
For Gabon, the focus now is on converting the financing framework into community-level investments, stronger protected area management and sustainable economic activities that can support both biodiversity and rural livelihoods over the long term.
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