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Located in the heart
of the great Congo basin rainforest, the Odzala National
Park, recently extended to cover 13.600 km2, is one of
Africa's least known and most extraordinary tropical forest
ecosystems. Climatic fluctuations in Central Africa over the
past several thousand years have caused a succession of
transitions from forest to savannah and back to
forest.
 The
resulting patchwork of savannahs and forests that we see today in the
Odzala National Park explains the exceptional diversity of plants and
animals found here. Beneath the 40 metre high trees of this vast expanse
of forest, some of which may never have been visited by man, healthy populations
large forest mammals roam. But one of the really unique features of the
Odzala National Park is the presence of many forest clearings or "salines"
offering marvellous opportunities for observing otherwise rarely seen
forest species. Attracted by the mineral salts in the soils and the succulent
herbaceous plants sitatungas are commonly observed shoulder to shoulder
with gorillas, elephants, giant forest hog. These are also excellent areas
for bird watching.
The Park was created in 1935 and
is one of the oldest parks in Africa. Its owes its  existence
to Mr. St Floris the administrator of the French Equatorial Africa. Located
in a remote area with a low human population the spectacular wildlife
is well protected. In the recent past elephant poaching in the south of
the park and along the rivers was a problem but the presence of ECOFAC
has significantly curtailed this activity. The local populations, living
mainly around the south west of the Park, are made up of various Bantu
groups. The many forest resources are vital to their way of life.
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