But like much of the country’s forests, illegal felling of trees is still rampant here despite a forest code.

Created in 2006, it works to raise awareness on the sustainable use of natural resources in a country where forests cover 90 percent of the territory.

“We also support them in actions to promote non-wood forest products in actions to set up agricultural plots, especially market gardening,” Medik adds.

The Gabonese forests are part of the Congo Basin in Central Africa, which covers 200 million hectares according to the World Wildlife Fund, and is the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon.

It covers land use for agriculture, climate, and forest resources, among others.