Odzala-Kokoua National Park

Last Updated
2024-09-30
Name of the Protected Area / Park / Reserve
Odzala-Kokoua National Park
Country
Republic of the Congo
Status of the Protected Area
In Operation
UNESCO Classified
Yes
UNESCO Classification Information

Odzala-Kokoua Park was recognized as a UNESCO Heritage Site as of 16 September 2023. 

Carbon Offsetting Project
No
Carbon Offsetting Project Information

Odzala-Kokoua Park does not currently engage in carbon offsetting projects. However, for more than 10 years, the African Parks Network has shown an interest in exploring if Odzala-Kokoua could be turned into a REDD+ carbon offsetting project.[1]

IUCN category of the Area /Park / Reserve
National Park
Name(s) of the Impacted Indigenous People(s) / Community / Villages
Baka
Kola
Name(s) of the Support Groups/NGOs and Contact Details
Information about Involved Institutions

Arcus Foundation – Funds programs aimed at protecting great apes and other primates through population and health monitoring as well as anti-poaching and community engagement strategies.[1]


DOB Ecology – Engages in “intelligence-based conservation.” Along with African Parks[2]

“partnership between DOB Ecology and African Parks consists of two parts: the development and protection of Odzala-Kokoua National Park and a fundamental innovation in park management and nature conservation – not only in this park and within African Parks, but also to be shared within the conservation community.”


Bennink Foundation – anti-poaching training since 2019. 

Administrative Authority of the Protect Area / Park / Reserve and Contact Details

African Parks Network currently lists Jonas Erikkson as its Park Manager for Odzala-Kokoua.[1]

Emailodzala@african-parks.org

National Conservation / Environment Agency or Ministry in Charge of the Protect Area / Park / Reserve
Major Public and Private Donors
The Wyss Foundation
European Union
The Global Environment Facility -GEF
USAID
Elephant Crisis Fund
Legacy Landscapes Fund - LLF
Rob Walton Foundation
Stichting Natura Africae
People's Postcode Lottery
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
African Parks
Wildlife Conservation Society - WCS
The World Wildlife Fund-WWF
Involved International Conservation NGOs, Foundations and Institutions
Arcus Foundation
DOB Ecology
Bennink Foundation
Donor's Information

WYSS Foundation -- One of the largest philanthropic supporters of the African Parks Network, having donated $1 Billion in 2018 towards 30x30 conservation initiatives.[1]


European Union - “The EU recently provided EUR 6 million to the park for the period 2018-2023. In 2020, EU funding represented 46 % of the conservation group African Parks’ budget for the park and 29 % in 2021. Specifically, the Conservation and Rational Utilization of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa has been heavily involved in financing park administration since 1992, and currently contributes around 18 % of the budget for anti-poaching activities in the park, providing direct funding to the rangers.[2]


Global Environment Facility – Conservation of Transboundary Biodiversity in the Minkebe-Odzala-Dja Interzone in Gabon, Congo, and Cameroon – $10,117,500 (2006)


Agency for International Development, Development Assistance – $821,794 in 2019.[3]


Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) – $4.7 million to African Parks since 2015[4]


Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) – The LLF provides financing to protected areas, in partnership with a philanthropic partner who provides match-funding of US$1m a year for the first five years. LLF funding takes over at year six at the same rate for a further 10 years. Odzala-Kokoua National Park is one of two pilot sites currently receiving funding from the LLF.[5]


Rob Walton Foundation – In 2021, the RWF donated $100 million to African Parks under a five-year commitment. RWF is also listed as the philanthropic partner under the LLF funding, donating $1 Million for five years starting in 2021.[6]


Stichting Natura Africae – Provided funding worth € 4,75m in 2022 to a total of five parks, including Odzala-Kokoua[7] 


The People’s Postcode Lottery, based in Edinburgh, has given African Parks £8.2 million since 2015.[8]


USAID: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pdacr793.pdf


In 2013, African Parks, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the World Wide Fund for Nature entered into a five-year, $10 million agreement to collaborate and work to conserve Odzala-Kokoua National Park. 

Historical Background

Odzala-Kokoua Park was first protected in 1935, declared a bio reserve in 1977, and reached full national park status via presidential decree in 2001. Conservation initiatives were halted during the Civil War of 1997-1999 and the park management was virtually abandoned during the Ebola crisis. The Republic of Congo has a history of privatizing management of its national parks and in 2010, African Parks began managing the park as part of a 25-year agreement with the Ministry of Forest and Sustainable Development. 


Approximately 10,000 people, including the Baka Indigenous People, live in 54 villages around the park. The Baka Indigenous People have lived on and cared for these lands for centuries.[1]

Short description of the alleged violations

African Parks Network employs over 1,400 rangers tasked with patrolling 22 parks under its management. The rangers have foot patrols, aerial surveillance units, and specialized units that respond to specific threats.[1]As is the issue with many of the national parks engaged with fortress conservation, park rangers, and wildlife guards at Odzala-Kokoua have an extensive history of human rights violations, dating back ten years, against Indigenous communities accessing the ancestral lands they have been systematically displaced from. In 2013, African Parks initiated the first firearm amnesty program within the Republic of the Congo offering poachers positions as park rangers in exchange for weapons and intelligence.


In August 2013, a Kola man from Olleme reported being assaulted by wildlife guards in the forest near the Lekoli River.[2]


In July 2019, three men went camping in Ignoli village within Odzala Kokoua. During their return from gathering hut materials in the forest, eco-guards accused them of poaching alongside the son of the village chief, despite not having weapons or hunting gear. Handcuffed and subjected to severe beatings, they were pressured to confess and name accomplices, which they vehemently denied. Later, they were taken to the Lango base, allegedly confined in a container, enduring two days of torture without food or water. Authorities, including the police and judiciary, report extensive wounds and bruises on their bodies.[3]


In January 2024, Prince Harry's affiliated conservation charity was accused of financing an armed militia responsible for brutalizing Indigenous communities in Africa. An investigation revealed disturbing accounts of violence perpetrated by guards under the auspices of African Parks, an organization Prince Harry previously presided over for six years before joining its board of directors. Despite its purported mission of wildlife preservation and community collaboration, African Parks, backed by a billionaire linked to Chelsea Football Club, has been accused of overseeing atrocities against the Ba’aka people. Witnesses alleged harrowing incidents of beatings, rapes, and torture inflicted on the Ba’aka. Survivors report horrific experiences, including being drowned, whipped, and raped by armed guards. One man died in custody without receiving medical attention for his injuries, while others, including a mother with her newborn, suffered horrific abuses. Furthermore, allegations suggest medical staff faced coercion to conceal evidence of abuse. Compounding the injustice, survivors lament the lack of compensation and accountability, with one victim still awaiting the majority of the court-ordered restitution.[4]

Categories of Human Rights Violations
Rights to land, territory and natural resources including access to means of subsistence, adequate food and adequate housing
Right to Consultation and Free and Prior Informed Consent
Civil Rights
Cultural Rights
Political Rights
Before Violations Overlapping Extractive Activities or Industries in the Protected Area / Park / Reserve

As reported in 2016, seven permits allowing companies to search for - and even begin extracting gold - had been approved by the Government within the park.[1]

Latest Developments

The article on extensive human rights violations, including torture, rape, and extrajudicial killings by Odzala-Kokoua wildlife guards by the UK press ‘Mail on Sunday’ was published at the start of 2024, therefore, international widespread pressure on donors to withdraw funding has ensued. Survival International has since launched a campaign and petition supporting the Indigenous communities of Odzala-Kokoua and speaking out against organizations such as UNESCO for their complicity in the violations. In a statement from February 2024, African Parks said it had hired the U.K.-based law firm Omnia Strategy to investigate the allegations. 


A BaAka woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eco-guards never received her court-ordered compensation of £1,300.[1]