Government of Gabon Joins The Nature Conservancy and Enduring Earth to Mobilize US$200 Million for Transformative Community and Conservation Outcomes

The Government of Gabon, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Enduring Earth and partners, today announced the formal launch of a visionary Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative, known locally as Gabon Infini, that aims to mobilize up to US$200 million in community and conservation investments from multiple funding sources over the next decade—helping the biodiversity-rich country deliver sustainable economic benefits in protected area landscapes, while also advancing its ambitious “30x30x30” commitment to safeguard 30% of its terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems by 2030.  

A crucial ecological anchor within the vast Congo Basin that helps regulate rainfall across much of Africa, 88% of Gabon is covered by dense, tropical forest, alongside a marine territory similar in size to the country’s land area, all framed by 500 miles of pristine Atlantic coastline, the expansive Ogooué River basin, and vast tracts of forest, rolling savanna and peatlands—powerful carbon sinks that collectively absorb more CO₂ than the country emits, while also buffering against climate-driven hazards like floods and droughts. 

Emphasizing the government's community-first approach, Gabon's Vice-President of the Government, Mr. Herman Immongault, stated:

"The Gabon Infini program aligns fully with the orientations of our 2026-2030 National Growth and Development Plan. Our vision is clear: beyond simply leveraging our natural resources, we are placing people and our communities firmly at the heart of development. By creating sustainable local economic opportunities, securing the livelihoods of our rural populations, and turning biodiversity into a strategic pillar of national development, Gabon Infini serves as a true engine of prosperity for our communities as a whole."

Previewed during November’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, the Gabon Infini PFP is underpinned by a detailed national community development and conservation plan that provides for an additional 3.7 million hectares of new protected areas on land, while also improving the management of ~3.8 million hectares of land already under protection. By prioritising the economic wellbeing of those communities living alongside Gabon’s natural riches, Gabon Infini is expected to directly benefit rural populations —supercharging the government’s ability to deliver against its vision of a place where people, nature and communities thrive.  An independent conservation trust fund, le Fonds de Préservation de la Biodiversité au Gabon (FPBG), will manage and distribute the PFP’s donor funding.  

Commenting on the formal launch of Gabon Infini, The Nature Conservancy’s CEO Jennifer Morris said: “Protecting nature is so much more than simply safeguarding ecosystems. Lasting conservation requires that we honor, sustain and incorporate the communities who have stewarded and protected these irreplaceable assets into the process. Throughout the course of establishing Gabon Infini, we have seen unwavering commitment from the Government of Gabon to the needs of community-led conservation and an urgency to protect the incredible diversity of life among its dense tropical forests and extensive freshwater and marine ecosystems. As one of the first countries to commit to protecting not only 30% of their land and ocean but also freshwater ecosystems, Gabon stands apart in its commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework. We are proud to partner and support the long-term financing made possible through this collaboration with Enduring Earth.” 

As Gabon’s globally significant biodiversity faces increasing pressure from climate  change and rising global demand for minerals, oil, food, timber and animal products, Gabon Infini will fund critical projects to safeguard the country’s ecosystems. These projects include community-based initiatives involving sustainable forestry, eco-tourism, mitigation of human-wildlife conflict, and adaptation to climate impacts like coastal erosion or inland flooding. When completed, these efforts will reinforce the foundations of a resilient, nature-based economy—protecting vital ecosystems while securing the livelihoods of the rural communities who depend on them for decades to come.

Gabon Infini represents the ninth PFP initiative supported by Enduring Earth, a bold collaboration founded in 2020 by The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund, and ZOMA LAB. In 2026, Bezos Earth Fund and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation joined the initiative in an effort to scale the shared ambition and outcomes. Enduring Earth partners with governments, communities, Indigenous peoples, and funders to accelerate conservation and sustainable development, address biodiversity loss, secure durable financing, and enhance economic growth, using the PFP model. Since its launch, Enduring Earth has worked with local partners to durably conserve a total of 245 million hectares of lands and waters in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Gabon, Mexico, Mongolia, and Namibia, and secure more than US$2 billion in sustainable finance for nature and people.

Elaborating on the significance of the Gabon Infini PFP, TNC country director Stanislas Stephen Mouba said: 

“Alongside their importance for local communities, Gabon’s rich ecosystems play host to unique species including more than half the world’s remaining forest elephants and one-quarter of surviving lowland gorillas, alongside other iconic wildlife like African grey parrots, Atlantic humpback dolphins, chimpanzees, crocodiles and sea turtles. Building on the impact of 2023's US$163 million, ocean-focused Nature Bonds project—also facilitated by TNC—the funding secured via Gabon Infini PFP will help conserve these natural riches for decades to come, benefitting people and planet alike.” 

Christine Yasmine Tchoua, Chief Executive Officer of FPBG, said:

“As a financing instrument dedicated to conservation, the Fonds de Préservation de la Biodiversité au Gabon (FPBG) is proud to support the Gabon Infini program and reinforce the Gabonese Government's efforts in protected area management and the promotion of sustainable development. Our mission will be to mobilize and channel these funds toward concrete, high-impact actions on the ground while reconciling ecosystem protection with socio-economic development. This mechanism, unique in Central Africa, will benefit local communities to turn our commitments for Gabon into tangible achievements.”

Gabon Infini anticipates key financial support from Bezos Earth Fund, Global Environment Facility, Joanna & Stuart Brown, Juniper Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Minderoo Foundation, Palladium Foundation, Pamela Tanner Boll, Rob Walton Foundation, Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust, The SEED Fund, The Turnbull-Burnstein Family Charitable Fund and TNC Scale Up Fund.

“Gabon’s forests, rivers and ocean sustain communities across the country and shelter extraordinary wildlife. Their health also matters far beyond Gabon’s borders. Gabon Infini provides the long-term finance, governance and accountability needed to secure that future,” said Dr. Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader of Nature Solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund. “Philanthropy can help countries bridge the gap between public commitments and lasting conservation. The Bezos Earth Fund sees PFPs as a practical way to help achieve the global goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030.”

"Gabon Infini is the kind of country-led initiative the global biodiversity agenda needs right now. It represents a substantial contribution for the implementation of innovative long-term financial sustainability for Protected Areas systems in Africa,” said Claude Gascon, interim CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility. “The GEF was among the first to believe in this vision and helped bring other donors to the table with a $25 million project in 2023 focused on developing two PFPs mechanisms for Namibia and Gabon, the first ever in Africa."