WildAid Africa 161d ago

Cyrille Mvele’s work is an example of how conservation efforts succeed when people and nature thrive together. Co-founder of OELO, an organization created in 2010 to protect Gabon's Lake Oguemoué (part of the internationally recognised Bas Ogooué wetland region) and its biodiversity, Cyrille has built a model of community-led conservation rooted in dialogue, shared responsibility, and local pride. By working hand in hand with surrounding villages, he helps communities understand the environmental challenges they face, identify their causes, and co-create practical solutions that protect ecosystems and aquatic resources while generating sustainable income. Under his leadership, OELO has reached thousands of students in 31 schools through environmental education programs, reduced poaching and trade of protected species, and supported the creation of multiple fishing cooperatives and no-take zones that safeguard the lake while securing livelihoods. Together with his wife, Cyrille also founded a community-run eco-lodge on his ancestral land, transforming sustainable tourism into a tool for conservation, cultural transmission, and economic resilience. Cyrille’s work shows that when communities are empowered to protect the places that shaped them, conservation becomes a source of pride, opportunity, and hope. His model is already inspiring the next generation and will continue to benefit both people and nature for decades to come.