Odzala Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1977, in Congo. Located in the north-west of the Republic of the Congo, about thirty kilometres east of the Gabon border, Odzala Kokoua is a nationally significant protected area. It brings together extensive lowland rainforest, swamp forest along the Mambili and upper Djoua, dry wooded savannas in the south and more than one hundred forest clearings that shape wildlife movements and foraging. This mosaic underpins exceptional biodiversity and delivers tangible local benefits. The reserve’s goals are to conserve these forests and savannas, support fair local livelihoods linked to conservation, and advance research and monitoring on gorillas, forest elephants and ecosystem change to guide management.