Summit 2026 - Gabon’s indigenous guardians: harnessing the law to protect land and life

Day 2: Wednesday 25th March

Time: 11:30 GMT | 12:30 CET | 04:30 PT | 07:30 ET | 20:30 JST

Virtual event

In Gabon, the forest breathes. It is home to a delicate and complex web of wildlife and biodiversity. Here, two organisations are working together to safeguard one of the country’s largest remaining intact forests – part of the incredible Congo basin.

This panel session will showcase an initiative by NADA Gabon, an Indigenous-led organisation with a mission to sustainably manage ancestral lands. Together with their partner, Panthera, they are pioneering the country's first Indigenous protected/conserved territories, using and improving national legislation to establish the country’s first Community Reserve.

Moderator: Diane Vandesmet, Communications manager, ClientEarth

Panellists:

• Christopher Orbell, Gabon leopard & corridor program coordinator, Panthera
• Clémence Tranchand, Legal advisor & policy expert, International Environmental Law
• Protet Judicaël Essono Ondo, Directeur exécutif CEO-SE, Cabinet Essono Ondo pour le Social et l'Environnement (CEO-SE)
• Alex Ebang Mbele, Directeur Exécutif, Nsombou Abalghe-Dzal Association (NADA)

This session is part of the ClientEarth Summit 2026. Find out more here, and register below.

Register for the Summit