‘For our forests to continue to exist, animal life must exist, and for animal life to continue to exist, we must adjust our behaviour by changing our mentality,” Andréa Minkwe explains passionately. “If we destroy everything, then we ourselves are destroyed in the end. So protecting nature is no longer a necessity, but a vital obligation. And we do it not only for ourselves but for all humanity.”

Acknowledging humanity’s dependency on our natural world, she says: “This forest block is very, very important because it is a natural barrier against the marine winds. This coastal strip plays a very important role for us, the people.” The Gabonese forests form part of the Congo Basin, the site of the world’s second-largest rainforests after the Amazon, according to the World Wildlife Fund. 

Andréa Minkwe invites locals and visitors alike to immerse themselves in the forest’s rich flora and fauna. (Photo: Supplied)

Andréa’s relationship with nature is a deeply personal one; she sees nature as a source of healing. “Nature is me, and I am nature. Although I can leave, nature will always remain,” she elaborates.

Andréa Biong, née Minkwe, manages the Raponda Walker Arboretum near Libreville in Gabon.(Photo: Supplied)

Andréa invites locals and visitors alike to immerse themselves in the forest’s rich flora and fauna, and to consider the profound truth that nature and humanity are forever intertwined. DM