Gabon of Central Africa truly is the “The Last Eden” on Earth and here are photos to prove it

The world’s most carbon positive nation today launches a new destination marketing identity to invite you to visit the country’s rainforests and enjoy its beaches, cultural experiences and wildlife.

The new brand – Discover Gabon, The Last Eden – builds on Gabon’s global reputation for sustainability, biodiversity and conservation, which has seen it being internationally awarded for the leading role it has taken in combating climate change globally.

Around 88 per cent of the country is covered by rich equatorial rainforest.

The country has the largest population of forest elephant in the world, with an estimated 95,000 of the critically endangered species.

It is also home to as many as 30,000 gorillas and chimpanzees.

Gabon is visited each year by the Southern Hemisphere’s largest population of humpback whales, who nurse their young there before migrating south, and the world’s largest populations of leatherback and olive-ridley turtles also come to Gabon to nest.

The country is home to more than 10,000 plant species. This is more than the total diversity of all countries in West Africa, with 15 per cent of the plants in the country unique to Gabon.

The launch of the new identity is part of an initiative by the country’s President, Ali Bongo Ondima, to further the development of eco-tourism in the country. Investments have been targeted upgrading infrastructure and developing high-end ecotourism under the country’s Green Gabon strategy for sustainable development.

The brand identity was unveiled at a ceremony attended by dignitaries including the country’s Prime Minister, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze. The brand was developed by a partnership of agencies in Gabon led by AGATOUR that included the country’s investment bureau ANPI, the national wildlife Service ANPN and representatives from governmental departments including Ministry of Minister of Water, Forests, the Sea, and Environment, charged with Climate Change, SDGs and Land-use Planning. The international communications company Zebek worked with the government to deliver the new brand vision, media elements and identity.

Gabon is the most carbon positive nation on the planet. The carbon account submitted to the UNFCCC has documented its exceptionally high performance in removing just over 100 million tons of CO2 more from the atmosphere per annum than it emits. This is roughly equivalent to absorbing and offsetting 25 per cent of the annual emissions of the United Kingdom.

To protect its biodiversity, Gabon also established a network of 13 national parks. In total 22 per cent of Gabon’s land falls within protected areas while another 60 per cent is managed in sustainable forestry concessions. Since 2018 the country has also declared 26 per cent of Gabon’s marine waters as marine protected areas.

The new destination marketing identity is accompanied by dedicated social media channels on twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. In addition, a new website was launched to inform you of activities that can be undertaken in the country, entry requirements, useful links, and detail on upcoming events.