Criteria iii, iv, ix, x Established 2002 | Type Mixed Designated 2007 (31st session) Area 4,910 km² | |
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Official name Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda Management National Agency for National Parks Similar Loango National Park, Akanda National Park, Batéké Plateau National, Musee des Arts et Traditions, Liana bridge | ||
Lopé National Park is a national park in central Gabon. Although the terrain is mostly rain forest, in the north the park contains the last remnants of grass savannas created in Central Africa during the last Ice Age, 15,000 years ago. It was the first protected area in Gabon when the Lopé-Okanda Wildlife Reserve was created in 1946. In 2007, the Lopé-Okanda landscape was added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
The park contains a small research station, named as Mikongo and run by the Zoological Society London, based in the village known as Mikongo, from which it gets its name. There exists infrastructure to cater for tourists at the base, including several chalets and a large open air dining room, from which the rainforest is a mere five meters away. The park also hosts CEDAMM Training Centre, a Wildlife Conservation Society-run international conservation education center.