Editing Gabon (section)

===Wildlife===
{{main|Wildlife of Gabon}}

Gabon has a large number of protected animal and plant species. The country's biodiversity is one of the most varied on the planet.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OH1-F-ebDioC&pg=PA16 |title=La conservation des ecosystèmes forestiers du Gabon |last=Wilks |first=Chris |publisher=UICN |date=1990 |language=fr |page=16 |isbn=2-88032-988-4 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=7 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907003445/https://books.google.com/books?id=OH1-F-ebDioC&pg=PA16 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Gabon is home of 604 species of birds, 98 species of amphibians, between 95 and 160 species of reptiles and 198 different species of mammals.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gabon-international.com/decouvrir-le-gabon/connaitre/le-gabon-berceau-de-la-biodiversite | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403154427/http://www.gabon-international.com/decouvrir-le-gabon/connaitre/le-gabon-berceau-de-la-biodiversite | archive-date=3 April 2016 | title=Le Gabon, berceau de la biodiversité |url-status=usurped |language=fr}}</ref> In Gabon there are rare species, such as the Gabon [[pangolin]] and the [[grey-necked rockfowl]], or endemics, such as the Gabon [[guenon]].

The country is one of the most varied and important fauna reserves in Africa:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide juridique pour la protection de la faune sauvage en République du Gabon|url=https://www.conservation-justice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Guidejuridique-Gabon-FINAL-1.pdf|author=Ministère des Eaux et Forêts|date=May 2011|access-date=26 December 2023|archive-date=26 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226180108/https://www.conservation-justice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Guidejuridique-Gabon-FINAL-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> it is an important refuge for [[chimpanzee]]s (whose number, in 2003, was estimated between 27,000 and 64,000){{CN|date=May 2023}} and [[Gorilla|gorillas]] (28,000-42,000 estimated in 1983).<ref name="Tutin_1984">{{cite journal |last1=Tutin |first1=C. E. G. |last2=Fernandez |first2=M. |date=1984 |title=Nationwide census of gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla) and chimpanzee (Pan t. troglodytes) populations in Gabon |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32160718/ |journal=American Journal of Primatology |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=313–336 |doi=10.1002/ajp.1350060403 |pmid=32160718 |access-date=2024-03-15 |archive-date=15 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315203204/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32160718/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The "Gorilla and Chimpanzee Study Station" inside the [[Lopé National Park]]{{CN|date=May 2023}} is dedicated to their study.

It is also home to more than half the population of [[Loxodonta cyclotis|African forest elephants]],<ref name="Mutsaka 2021 q241">{{cite web | last=Mutsaka | first=Farai | title=Gabon is last bastion of endangered African forest elephants | website=AP News | date=November 18, 2021 | url=https://apnews.com/article/science-africa-environment-and-nature-forests-environment-2fc74761dac498146018192ecc830516 | access-date=March 15, 2024 | archive-date=15 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315203818/https://apnews.com/article/science-africa-environment-and-nature-forests-environment-2fc74761dac498146018192ecc830516 | url-status=live }}</ref> mostly in [[Minkébé National Park]].{{CN|date=May 2023}} Gabon's national symbol is the [[black panther]].<ref name="BBC Sport 2016 f111">{{cite web | title=Gabon reveal 2017 Nations Cup mascot | website=BBC Sport | date=March 25, 2016 | url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35900924 | access-date=March 15, 2024 | archive-date=15 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315204159/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35900924 | url-status=live }}</ref>

More than 10,000 species of plants and 400 species of trees form the flora of Gabon. Gabon's [[rainforest]] is considered the densest and most virgin in Africa. However, the country's enormous population growth is causing heavy deforestation that threatens this valuable ecosystem. Likewise, poaching endangers wildlife. Gabon's national flower is [[Delonix regia|Delonix Regia]].