Petit Loango

Petit Loango

Country:
Gabon
Site number:
352
Area:
150,868.6 ha
Designation date:
30-12-1986
Coordinates:
02°07'04"S 09°35'41"E
  • Zone d'Akaka/Rembo-Eshira
  • Zone d'Akaka/Rembo-Eshira
  • Zone de la Louri
  • Sous-bois d'Ignoungou

Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.


Petit Loango is part of the lagoon complex of Iguela. It is a slightly undulating coastal plain with several lakes, dissected by small rivers and temporary and permanent swamps, set in a savanna, mangrove and rainforest environment. The Site supports rare and vulnerable species such as the hippo, gorilla and elephant, and provides a nesting site for the three threatened turtle species: the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Birds, mainly terns of the Sterna genus, use the sandbanks for breeding. The Site plays an important role in flood control, sediment capture and bank stabilization through riverside vegetation. Given the very low population density and the area’s classification as a wildlife reserve, the Site is very scarcely used. The surroundings are used for tourism and for oil exploitation, which could constitute a threat in the future, especially if expanded. As the Site opens out to the Atlantic Ocean, permanent communications paths are envisaged. The overlapping Loango National Park was established in 2002.
Administrative region: Ogooué Maritime

National legal designation:
  • National Park
  • Sustainably Managed Area of Fauna
  • hunting area
  • wildlife reserve
Last publication date: 15-11-2016
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