The Darién Gap, the only break in the Pan-American Highway, is known as a forbidding jungle hiding guerrillas, paramilitary forces, and narcotraffickers. However, there’s another side to the story: the Darién region is also a lush, vibrant expanse of forests, mangroves, and sandy beaches, flourishing with some of the greatest biodiversity on Earth.
Herein lies Panama’s Darién National Park, the largest protected area in Central America and the Caribbean. This Biosphere Reserve is considered the Americas’ most important “natural lung” after the Amazon.
Global Conservation is deploying Global Park Defense in Darién in close coordination with law enforcement. With Global Park Defense, the park authority and ranger teams will have increased capacity and improved effectiveness to greatly improve park and wildlife protection, law enforcement and biodiversity monitoring. Our goal is to achieve "No Cut, No Kill" protection for the national park within 5-6 years.
Oliver Fankem is a conservation biologist from Cameroon and our new Director for Central Africa. Over the last 15 years he has worked on conservation in Cameroon, providing technical support in protected area management, law enforcement, and wildlife monitoring, eventually securing a position as the ZSL TRIDOM Landscape Manager in 2019. In that position, he was responsible for the management of all of ZSL’s activities in a network of protected areas in Cameroon.
As Director for Central Africa, Oliver is tasked with developing GC’s work in Cameroon and Gabon. We’re thrilled to have him on board! Read our interview with Oliver to learn more about him and his work with GC.
Watch the video above, and read the script here.
Nestled in the heart of Indonesia’s archipelago lie the volcanic islands of Komodo National Park (KNP). Under the ocean’s surface, manta rays, whale sharks, and over a thousand species of tropical fish thrive among an abundance of other species of animals and corals. On land, deer and buffalo roam beside the park’s most famous animal: the Komodo dragon.
In partnership with Komodo Survival Program, Global Conservation has funded and supported efforts to provide the technology and resources needed to more effectively protect KNP.
Carpathian National Nature Park is Ukraine’s first and largest national park and the largest protected area in the Carpathian region. This year, as Ukraine continues to fight to maintain its independence, GC has restored two ranger stations and continues to support conservation efforts.
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