Contacts
In Washington: Herbert Boh (202) 473 3548 hboh@worldbank.org In Gabon: Patrice Etong Oveng (241) 73 81 71 petongoveng@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, March 29, 2006 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a project that will help protect and manage biodiversity in a sustainable way and contribute to the diversification of the national economy through strengthened capacities of parks and wildlife authorities in Gabon. The Strengthening Capacity for Managing National Parks and Biodiversity project will be financed by a US$10 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which was approved by the GEF Council in June 2005. The proposed project aims to preserve global biodiversity and to lay the foundation for possible development of eco-tourism in Gabon and provide employment and revenue-generating activities in rural areas. It will also help strengthen public sector effectiveness and contribute to poverty reduction by building civil society’s capacity through the stakeholders’ involvement in many aspects of the project. “By working in national parks and surrounding buffer zones and production landscapes, the project will adopt an integrated approach to biodiversity conservation, and implementation of concrete on the ground activities will strengthen operational capacities of national parks and wildlife authorities and foster local communities’ participation in park management,” said Laurent Debroux, the World Bank Task Team Leader of the project. The Congo basin constitutes the world’s second largest tropical forest. With forest covering 85 percent of its territory, Gabon accounts for approximately 15 percent of the Congo basin rainforest. It encompasses three of the world’s globally important eco-regions and it has a particularly high level of biodiversity. Laurent Debroux added that “enhancing the conservation of biodiversity in Gabon will make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation in the Congo basin and at the global level. The project will complement efforts by the Government of Gabon and other donors.” The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a mechanism for providing new and additional grant and concessional funding to meet the agreed incremental costs of measures to achieve agreed global environmental benefits in the six focal areas - Climate change, Biodiversity, International waters, Ozone, Land degradation, and Persistent organic pollutants. GEF also supports the work of the global agreements to combat desertification and eliminate persistent organic pollutants. The World Bank Group is one of GEF’s implementing agencies and supports countries in preparing GEF co-financed projects and supervises their implementation. It plays the primary role in ensuring the development and management of investment projects. The Bank draws upon its investment experience in eligible countries to promote investment opportunities and to mobilize private sector, bilateral, multilateral, and other government and non-government sector resources that are consistent with GEF objectives and national sustainable development strategies. Since 1991, the World Bank Group has committed $1.972 billion in GEF resources and $3.037 billion in Bank group co-financing for GEF projects in 80 countries. In addition to GEF and Bank resources, it has mobilized additional co-financing of $6.952 billion from other donors. ### For more information on the World Bank’s work in sub-Saharan Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/afr For further information on Bank’s GEF program, visit
www.worldbank.org/gef For further information on GEF, visit www.theGEFweb.org For more information about World Bank’s activities in Gabon visit: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/GABONEXTN/0,,menu
PK:352115~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:352109,00.html For more information about the project, please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64027221&piPK=64027220&theSitePK=352109&menuPK=352143&Projectid=P070232 |
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