OELO co-founder Cyrille Mvele with an African dwarf crocodile at Tsam Tsam (photo credit Johan Stuart)
Platform Palmiste Tsam Tsam (photo credit Roshni Lodhia)
Fishers on Lake Oguemoué (photo credit Roshni Lodhia)
Students perform at World Environment Day 2017 at OELO's Nature Center (photo credit Heather Arrowood)
Martial Angoue, member of Sustainable Fishing Coop Amven, collects data on fish catch (photo credit Roshni Lodhia)
Community Outreach

OELO works with hunters, vendors, restaurant owners, and consumers to inform the public and change preferences for bushmeat from protected species.

photo credit Johan Stuart

Ecotourism at Tsam Tsam

A community-run ecotourism site on Lake Oguemoué provides jobs for local people while protecting biodiversity. Staying at Tsam Tsam is also a great way to support OELO's efforts!

photo credit Roshni Lodhia

Our Lake, Our Future

Lake Oguemoué residents set aside no-take zones, agree on sustainable practices, and created the first freshwater fisheries management plan in Gabon.

photo credit Roshni Lodhia

Environmental Education

OELO inspires environmental stewardship with classroom presentations, nature club projects, field trips, and community events with Lambaréné area students and their teacher mentors.

photo credit Heather Arrowood

Facilitating Research

With a goal of better understanding and protecting biodiversity in the region, OELO facilitates research with local and international partners.

photo credit Roshni Lodhia

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About

OELO Logo

The Bas Ogooué is Gabon’s largest Ramsar Site: a wetland of international importance. It encompasses a vast stretch of the Ogooué River, adjacent lakes, and surrounding flooded forest. The area is important habitat for African forest elephants, hippos, chimpanzees, western gorillas, giant pangolins, African manatees, red-capped mangabeys, African dwarf crocodiles, Central African slender-snouted crocodiles and other Congo Basin Forest species. Dry season sandbars, river banks, and forest clearings are breeding sites for African skimmers, pink-backed pelicans and African river martins. The waterways are home to important populations of migratory fish as well as indigenous species. The Bas Ogooué also includes Gabon’s 7th largest city, Lambaréné, where the Ogooué River crosses the National Highway 1. It is an important hub for people coming by boat and car from surrounding communities with some of the largest fish and bushmeat markets in the country.

Organisation Ecologique des Lacs et de l’Ogooué (OELO) was formed in November 2010, when residents from the Lake Oguemoué community gathered to brainstorm ways to protect their lake and environment for future generations. OELO’s first project became an ecotourism site, Tsam Tsam, to create a source of revenue for local residents through protecting biodiversity while also generating income for OELO’s conservation projects. Over the course of 10 years OELO’s mission has expanded. Our mission is to:

1) Protect biodiversity and ecosystem services for future generations

2) Foster environmental awareness in local communities

3) Inspire the next generation to become environmental stewards

4) Help Bas Ogooué lake region residents to generate income through the sustainable use of resources

We now lead programs in ecotourism, environmental education, sustainable fishing, reducing illegal bushmeat commerce and facilitating biodiversity research in the Bas Ogooué lake region of Gabon.

Ecotourism at Tsam Tsam

Tsam Tsam Logo

OELO’s first project established an ecotourism site at Tsam Tsam on Lake Oguemoué. In addition to creating jobs and income for local residents through protecting biodiversity, the site generates funding for OELO’s other conservation programs.

Activities for visitors at Tsam Tsam are led by the community and include: guided forest hikes, night safaris by boat, paddle trips in dug-out pirogues, village visits, and evenings of traditional music. We cater each trip to the interests and activity level of your group. Please contact us to learn more or to book a trip.