Pongara National Park is located on the southern shores of the Gabon estuary. The Site includes a wide range of mangroves, riverine, swampy, littoral and flooded forests, and grassy savannahs. There are several rivers, notably the Remboué, Igombiné and Gomgoué. The mangroves (Avicennia and Rhizophora species) and the fern Acrostichum aureum help to regulate and stabilize the water flow. The Site is an important breeding ground for the critically endangered leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), and provides shelter for the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas), and the vulnerable olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). There are also gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and hippopotamus, and an important population of migratory birds with up to 10,000 hibernating Palearctic waders. Other animal species include the vulnerable dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), the brahminy blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus), the tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia), the Senegal mabuya lizard (Trachylepis affinis) and the flap-necked chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis). Plant species include the gaboon mahogany (Aucoumea klaineana) and the nail bush (Dalbergia ecastaphyllum). The extensive mudflats and mangroves are spawning, nursery and feeding areas for a range of fish. The Site has been inhabited since the neolithic era and now hosts Fang, Benga and Sekiani communities. The inhabitants exploit forest wood, and practice hunting, cultivation of banana, cassava and pepper, and especially fishing - the Site is considered a source of food for the whole region. However, non-selective fishing, hunting and forest exploitation within and around the Site pose threats to the equilibrium of the ecosystem.