Animal Info - Gabon

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Gabon and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Endangered:
- Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).
- Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus). (Previously listed as Papio leucophaeus.)
- Giant African Water Shrew (Potamogale velox).
- Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla).
- Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus).
Vulnerable:
- African Elephant (Loxodonta africana).
- African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata).
- African Pygmy Squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio).
- Black Colobus (Colobus satanas).
- Hun Shrew (Crocidura attila).
- Ja Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris major).
- Lion (Panthera leo).
- Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx).
- Spotted-necked Otter (Lutra maculicollis).
- Sun-tailed Monkey (or Guenon) (Cercopithecus solatus). (Endemic to Gabon.)
- West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).
- Wimmer's Shrew (Crocidura wimmeri).
Other
- Gabon Dwarf Shrew (Suncus remyi). Rated Least Concern in 2004 (IUCN 2004). Previously rated Critically Endangered.

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 190 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 2 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 12 (6 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 17 (9 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Gabon contains portions of the Congolian Coastal Forests, Gulf of Guinea Rivers & Crater Lakes, Guinean-Congolian Coast Mangroves, and Gulf of Guinea Marine Ecosystems Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 1,320,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 4.9 people/sq km (12.8 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 1,207,844 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 3.6 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 267,668 sq km (103,347 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Grass and Shrub: 7 %
Crop and Settlements: 1 %
Interrupted Woods: 9 %
Major Forests: 83 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 81 %, Medium: 2 %, High: 17 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 10,450 sq km (4,034 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 0.06 % totally protected; 3.85 % partially protected; 3.91 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $3,879 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $5,400 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent adult literacy: Female: 49 % (1990), 22 % (1970); Male: 74 % (1990), 43 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Gabon): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles; Links for Gabon: CARPE (Central African Regional Program for the Environment)

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Last modified: February 19, 2006;