Botanists working in Gabon’s rainforests continue to catalog the country’s rich but vulnerable plant biodiversity amid increasing environmental pressures. Archange Boupoya, director of the Sibang botanical garden located in Libreville, emphasized the importance of understanding the region’s plant species as a prerequisite to their preservation. “We cannot preserve that which we do not understand,” Boupoya said, highlighting the garden’s role in studying and safeguarding the diverse flora that thrives in Gabon’s tropical climate.
Gabon, situated in Central Africa, remains largely covered by dense jungle—approximately 88 percent of its territory—with much of its botanical wealth still undocumented. Boupoya leads a team of over 30 botanists committed to expanding scientific knowledge of this biodiversity, describing the Sibang garden as a “museum of plants” representing the country’s natural heritage. This work aligns with global conservation efforts underscored by the United Nations’ COP17 biodiversity conference, which launched recently in Armenia.
As part of the Congo Basin, often regarded as the planet’s second “green lung” after the Amazon rainforest, Gabon plays a critical role in absorbing carbon dioxide and regulating the global climate. Despite the region’s ecological significance, it remains less explored botanically compared to more studied regions like Europe and Asia. Each year, the research teams discover around 10 new plant species, reflecting the ongoing potential to uncover unknown flora.
Gabon’s flora is estimated to include between 7,000 and 10,000 known species, with roughly 10 percent classified as threatened. The botanical garden operates in collaboration with international partners such as the Missouri Botanical Garden in the United States, where joint expeditions into remote forests facilitate the collection and preservation of plant specimens. After initial documentation in Gabon, experts from several countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, and Belgium, assist in identifying and formally describing the species, a necessary process for recognition within the scientific community.
The national parks agency in Libreville houses a collection of about 100,000 plant specimens, some dating back to 1880, stored in metal cabinets organized alphabetically. This archive was relocated following a fire that destroyed previous holdings at the garden’s original site during political unrest in 2016. The collection serves as a vital record of Gabon’s botanical diversity, which faces increasing threats from urban development, industrialization, mining, and the country’s oil industry.
Among the at-risk plants are species of the aquatic Podostemaceae family, which typically grow near waterfalls and resemble mosses. Some of these have only recently been identified but now face habitat disruption due to the imminent completion of the Kinguele hydroelectric dam approximately 100 kilometers from Libreville. Boupoya expressed hope that international donors might assist in relocating such endangered species threatened by large infrastructure projects.
Despite their dedication, botanists report significant challenges, including inadequate conservation facilities since the 2016 fire, funding shortages, and ongoing pressure from urban expansion that reduces the Sibang botanical garden’s area annually. These obstacles underline the urgency of securing resources to sustain both research and preservation efforts amid Gabon’s remarkable yet fragile botanical landscape.