In july 2013, the gabon national parks agency (anpn) and the US fish and wildlife service (USFWS) entered into a cooperative agreement with the shared goal of conserving gabons wildlife heritage by…

In july 2013, the gabon national parks agency (anpn) and the US fish and wildlife service (USFWS) entered into a cooperative agreement with the shared goal of conserving gabons wildlife heritage by transforming the gabon national parks agency (anpn) into a premier african park agency. The agreement goal was to reduce threats to gabons forest elephants, great apes, tropical forest habitats, and marine ecosystems by addressing institutional challenges associated with building and managing the national park agency while also directly addressing the most salient conservation threats to the national park network and the wildlife species they protect.through the first phase of that agreement, the USFWS, anpn, and government and non-governmental (NGO) partners made significant progress toward these shared goals. The second phase of the agreement aims to replicate central tenants from the first reinforce institutional capacity to professionalize the national park agency while simultaneously delivering conservation success. This will be accomplished by (1) designing and implementing business best practices across the agency and institutionalizing an agency wide training, career development, and capacity transfer program (2) designing and implementing a model best practice protected area landscape, which will serve as a regional center of excellence within 5 YRS. And (3) enhancing anpns capacity to respond to PA threats through training, capacity transfer, and operational support to the elite ciar unit. The agreement builds a sustainable model for national park management and advances collaboration with ngos in appropriate support roles. The terms of this agreement were developed in discussions among the USFWS, anpn, representatives of international ngos, and the broader anpn donor community. The goal, outcomes and outputs of the cooperative agreement include:goal: conserve gabons wildlife heritage by reinforcing anpns capacity to effectively manage protected areas and to provide leadership for conservation in central africa.objective 1. Anpn leadership, staff and primary stakeholders are united under a clear mission supported by strong systems and administrative and management capacity. Sub-objective 1.1. A clear 5-YR mission statement and strategic plan is defined, communicated, and implemented. Sub-objective 1.2. Strong and transparent management and monitoring systems that meet international standards are defined and implemented. Sub-objective 1.3. Professional internal and external communication strategies are defined and implemented. Sub-objective 1.4. Core management and conservation competencies are defined and transferred to anpn employees through a formalized career development and training program. Sub-objective 1.5. National, regional, and international learning, leadership, and collaboration building opportunities are promoted.objective 2. The gabon parks and protected area network is sufficiently resourced and staffed with relevant expertise and capacity to support healthy wildlife populations and benefit the natural heritage of surrounding communities. Sub-objective 2.1. A best practice model site serves as a regional center of excellence for effective national park management within 5 years. Sub-objective 2.2. The anpn ciar unit serves as a regional model of excellence for effective and fair environmental law enforcement. The agreement governance structure is led by a steering committee, responsible for validation of annual workplans and ensuring activities remain aligned with national and donor priorities. A program management unit supports the day-to-day implementation, financial oversight, and reporting of agreement activities.