At Pongara National Park, a 30-minute boat ride from Libreville, conservation teams patrol nightly to locate nests, relocate threatened eggs to protected hatcheries, and monitor hatchlings as they make their way to the Atlantic. According to local experts, only one in 1,000 turtles reaches adulthood. Four species, including leatherback, green, hawksbill, and olive ridley turtles, come to lay their eggs between October and April at this major conservation site, while Gabon protects five species of sea turtles along its 900 kilometers of coastline. These animals remain threatened by erosion, rising sea levels, crabs, birds, plastic pollution, industrial fishing, and poaching. In Pongara, the fight against illegal fishing illustrates this growing pressure, in a context where park rangers lack resources and face payment delays.
