The forest here seems to go on forever, interrupted only by the broad ribbons of its rivers. Deep inside, some of the world’s rarest creatures cavort in one of the most pristine patches of rain forest on earth, a direct but accidental result of Gabon’s reliance on one of the filthiest fossil fuels: crude oil.
For years, these vast stretches of green have been left almost entirely untouched because oil has supplied Gabon’s people with one of the highest per capita incomes in sub-Saharan Africa.
But now the oil is running out, and Gabon needs a new source of cash, quickly, throwing the future of Gabon’s lush, Edenic landscapes into doubt.
In forests as old as the last ice age, an iron ore mining venture backed by Gabon’s president is threatening to destroy a huge waterfall known as Kongou Falls by damming the Ivindo River to power a mine and its railway.
A battle has sprung up to save the falls, and for many of Gabon’s civic and ...