How conservation in Dzanga-Sangha supports people
In our August 2020 issue, we explored the tropical forests of Dzanga-Sangha in the Central African Republic, where visitors can see forest elephants congregate in mineral-rich mud clearings and habituated gorillas—who have gone through the process of getting used to humans—in their natural environment. But these unique tourism opportunities don’t just benefit wildlife: Park and WWF-supported NGOs provide employment, education, health care, and human rights assistance to local people—many of them Indigenous—which contribute to regional security.
© WWF
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
When COVID-19 spread in 2020, tourism numbers in Dzanga-Sangha dropped more than 50%. Thankfully, visitors returned to Dzanga-Sangha in 2022 and 2023, almost doubling pre-pandemic rates, boding well for the park’s long-term ability to support people and wildlife.
PRESERVING THE BUBBLE
During the pandemic, almost 5,000 Indigenous Ba’Aka in Dzanga-Sangha protected themselves by isolating for several months in traditional forest camps. WWF supplied food and medical resources to them as needed.
© WWF-US/ALLARD BLOM
BROAD PROTECTION
Park staff protect more than just wildlife. In 2021, after a local Ba’Aka girl was abducted, Dzanga-Sangha rangers used their tracking skills to scour the forest and rescue her. She was then cared for by the local WWF-supported hospital and Human Rights Center.
A HAVEN FOR ELEPHANTS
In 2021, the IUCN assessed African forest elephants as genetically distinct from savanna elephants for the first time. Sadly, that study found that these forest elephants are critically endangered. Dzanga-Sangha is home to a stable population of an estimated 700 African forest elephants, making conservation efforts there vital to keeping populations intact.
© Marco Gaiotti
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