Project History
The site was first gazetted as the Conkouati Wildlife Reserve in 1980, although part of the Reserve was de-gazetted and allocated to logging companies in 1989.
The Conkouati Reserve was under IUCN management for five years between 1994 and 1999, during which period a management infrastructure was created and staff were recruited and trained. GEF (Global Environment Fund, World Bank) funding finished in June 1999 for Project Conkouati, then under IUCN management. Some of the remaining funds were then used by project management to retain a skeleton staff (including 6 eco-guards); which continued until November 1999.
The site was gazetted as Conkouati-Douli National Park in 1999, and a management plan was produced by IUCN that defined a complex zoning plan. The area was divided up into 10 different management units which include two areas for industrial logging ('zones à usages multiples'), two ex-logging concession areas which receive 5 year total protection to help restore its resources ('zones de protection temporaire'), two areas which receive long-term total protection ('zones de protection integrale'), two areas for community use ('zones d'ecodeveloppement') and a marine extension of which the protection status was never defined. The zones that have full protected area status is about 1315km2. The protected area was upgraded to National Park and enlarged to its present size of 5045km2 in 1999.