UNESCO is a special organisation that recognises places on Earth that are so important they belong to all of humanity. Lopé earned its place on the World Heritage list because of its extraordinary variety of wildlife, its ancient rock art (paintings left by people long ago), and its unusual mix of habitats. Walking from the open grassland into the forest is like stepping between two different worlds.
The park is home to thousands of western lowland gorillas – the largest population anywhere. Mandrills, which are the world's largest monkeys, travel through the forest in groups that can number hundreds at a time. Forest elephants munch on fruit, forest buffalo graze on the open plains, and chimpanzees swing through the canopy overhead.
Lopé also protects prehistoric rock engravings – symbols and shapes carved into cliff faces by people who lived in central Africa very long ago. These carvings tell us that humans and wildlife have shared this place for tens of thousands of years.
The Ogooué River winds through the park and is full of life. Fishermen from nearby villages have fished there for generations. Lopé shows that protecting nature and respecting the people who live near it can work together.