Indigenous People and the Environment Module 4-2

Ecologist Michael Fay made a 400+ day trek across the Congo Basin. He identified 13 forested areas that were threatened by oil and mine exploration. He sought a meeting with the President, El Hadj Omar Bongo of Gabon. In short, the President surprised everyone, including Fay by agreeing that these areas should be protected and gave them a legal designation as wilderness parks.

The real good news is that Fay had also planned for the Indigenous people living in these areas to become the managers and caretakers of these parks, thus protecting their surrounding environment, while adding value to the country by enabling it to diversify its economy into eco-tourism rather than mere resource extraction.

It is encouraging to learn that a dictator would show such insight and courage for his country – especially in light of Canadian leadership on global warming as well as other environmental priorities – or not.