Ivindo National Park | |
---|---|
Location | Gabon |
Nearest city | Makokou |
Coordinates | 0°05′17″N 12°37′48″E / 0.088°N 12.63°E[1] |
Area | 3,000 km2 (1,200 sq mi) |
Established | 2002 |
Governing body | National Agency for National Parks |
Criteria | Natural: (ix)(x) |
Reference | 1653 |
Inscription | 2021 (44th Session) |
Ivindo National Park (French: Parc national d'Ivindo) is a national park in east-central Gabon in Central Africa, straddling the border of the Ogooué-Ivindo and Ogooué-Lolo provinces. Its creation was announced in August 2002 by then-President Omar Bongo at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, along with Gabon's 12 other terrestrial national parks. Most famous for the spectacular Kongou and Mingouli waterfalls of the Ivindo River, known as the “wonders of Ivindo”,[2] the park also includes the Ipassa Makokou Biosphere Reserve and Langoué Baï, one of the 5 most important forest clearings in Central Africa.[3] The park was designated as a UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021 for its outstanding biodiversity and relatively intact tropical forest ecosystem.[4]