Gabon, known as the world’s most carbon positive nation, has launched a new destination marketing identity to invite tourists to visit the country’s rainforests and enjoy its beaches, cultural experiences and wildlife.

The new brand – Discover Gabon, The Last Eden – builds on Gabon’s global reputation for sustainability, biodiversity and conservation.

Around 88 per cent of the country is covered by rich equatorial rainforest and the country has the largest population of forest elephant in the world, with an estimated 95,000 of the critically endangered species, as well as being home to as many as 30,000 gorillas and chimpanzees.

Gabon is visited each year by the Southern Hemisphere’s largest population of humpback whales, who nurse their young there before migrating south, and the world’s largest populations of leatherback and olive-ridley turtles also come to Gabon to nest. The country is home to more than 10,000 plant species. This is more than the total diversity of all countries in West Africa, with 15 per cent of the plants in the country unique to Gabon.

The launch of the new identity is part of an initiative by the country’s president, Ali Bongo Ondima, to further the development of eco-tourism.

“The development of a strong and distinctive brand image has become the number one marketing challenge for destinations,” said Gabon’s minister of tourism, John Norbert Diramba. “In an increasingly competitive world, regions are seeking to assert their identity and characteristics more clearly in order to ensure better visibility and a positive perception of their image, both among those living abroad and among their own population. ‘Discover Gabon, the LastEden’ is now the brand of our country – and it will become the identity associates with our country throughout the world.”

Gabon is the most carbon positive nation on the planet. The carbon account submitted to the UNFCCC has documented its exceptionally high performance in removing just over 100 million tons of CO2 more from the atmosphere per annum than it emits. This is roughly equivalent to absorbing and offsetting 25 per cent of the annual emissions of the United Kingdom.

To protect its biodiversity, Gabon also established a network of 13 national parks. In total 22 per cent of Gabon’s land falls within protected areas while another 60 per cent is managed in sustainable forestry concessions. Since 2018 the country has also declared 26 per cent of Gabon’s marine waters as marine protected areas.

The new destination marketing identity is accompanied by dedicated social media channels on twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. In addition a new web site was launched to inform visitors of activities that can be undertaken in the country, entry requirements, useful links, and detail on upcoming events. Visit www.discovergabon.com for more information.