Congo Republic has signed a deal to allow a US developer to build hotels and casinos in a natural park that is home to several endangered species, a source at the Forestry Ministry said on Monday

BRAZZAVILLE, Congo; April 4, 2007.- The agreement, signed last week in the commercial capital Point-Noire, gives Utah-based Pioneer International Development a 50-year licence to develop eco-tourism in the Conkouati-Douli National Park, the central African country’s most diverse reserve.

The contract foresees a trial period for the government to review the performance of Pioneer, which was established in 2004 and has offices in several African countries.

“After the signing of this protocol … Pioneer will appoint operators to begin the development process under the supervision of the Forestry Ministry,” said a copy of the accord, read to Reuters by the source.

President Denis Sassou-Nguesso’s government came under fire from environmental groups in January for awarding an oil exploration licence within the park to a subsidiary of France’s Maurel & Prom, contradicting the park’s charter.

Stretching from deep in the Atlantic Ocean to the central African country’s inland hills, Conkouati-Douli’s 505,000 hectares are home to a host of rare and endangered species including leatherback turtles, mandrills, gorillas and chimpanzees.

(Reuters)

 

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