Gabon is a country blessed by nature. With over 800 km of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, tropical rainforests covering 85% of its territory and a wealth of minerals, Gabon is the most prosperous nation in the Congo Basin. Looking at the statistics, there could be no greater contrast with the country that is becoming one of its main investors: China.

Fishermen bringing the daily catch on to the beach in Libreville, Gabon. [WWF]

Gabon's total population is equal to one of the smallest Beijing districts, though its area (more than 267,000 km2) is equivalent to 16 times that of Beijing. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is approximately 15,000 US dollars, almost double China's, and WWF's Living Planet Report 2012 ranks Gabon as first in the world for "biological capacity" (biologically productive area per person), while China comes among the last. But Gabon and China have also something in common: the commitment in national plans to making the environment a key element of economic development.

We visited Gabon with a group of journalists from China ahead of the Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), an event held every three years to bolster relations between China and African countries. Our goal was to explore how the national commitments can meet on the ground and recommend actions that China and Gabon can undertake through FOCAC for development and the environment.

Gabon is a perfect example of the opportunity for collaboration in these areas as its economy is so dependent on natural resources. Mining and oil account for the largest portion of the country's GDP (60%), but dwindling oil reserves have compelled the government to focus on alternatives for future investment and in 2010 "Green Gabon" became one of the strategies to boost the economy.

"Green Gabon" and the forestry sector

The idea behind "Green Gabon" was to grow through a sustainable use of natural resources, e.g. promoting ecotourism in the 13 national parks (11% of the country's land), reducing carbon emissions associated with deforestation and advancing performance of the timber industry. As a start, in 2010 the government banned log exports in order to benefit local processing – thus local employment. The new forestry law also required the implementation of sustainable management plans for concessions which include cutting cycles of 25-30 years. Such measures were partly the result of painful experiences from the past.

Petit Loango National Park Sunset with silhouette of palm trees near Setté Cama, Gabon.

We travelled to Nyonié, 60 km south of Libreville, one of the first areas of forest overexploitation. At its most productive time, the village consisted of two neighbourhoods with some hundreds of people living off of wood, fish and wildlife. Today, in a stripe of land between two national parks, only a few homes remain, inhabited by a handful of families and elders. Foresters left 30 years ago and the youth gravitate around Libreville, where there are schools, jobs and better opportunities to make a living. Even food is delivered from the capital.

The main source of income is now a wildlife-tourism resort, opened 20 years ago by a French chef who supplies electricity and employs villagers.

This area is one of amazing beauty. The rainforest and natural savannahs are populated with elephants, buffalos, snakes, birds and a variety of tree species – like the local Okoumé, Gabon's most important timber species – rising with the ocean as a backdrop.

"It is beautiful here, but these trees are not of high quality, overexploitation removed the good seed trees," explains Bede Makanga Moussavou, Forestry Coordinator at WWF Gabon.

"Forestry companies have gone, agriculture is impossible, we cannot hunt wildlife, fish is caught by large vessels off the coast. What is left for us? The global environmental problems are not our fault, we are just victims of decisions made somewhere else," complains a retired doctor while he listens to a radio under the porch.

WWF has been working to help manage Gabon's rich biodiversity and create sustainable sources of income for local communities for 15 years. Part of this work has been coordinating efforts with logging companies, encouraging them to join international certification schemes, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This alone has led to the certification of 1,800,000 hectares of forests in Gabon.

"We are now working with Chinese businesses to promote a similar path and train them in the best international standards," says Jin Zhonghao, Manager of the Global Forest & Trade Network at WWF China. "In 2009 the Chinese government issued sustainability guidelines for Chinese forestry companies operating overseas, this is a starting point for engagement."

Forestry is a sector where the Chinese presence in Gabon is increasingly visible. With 23 and 20 companies respectively, France and China dominate the local timber industry. In 2011, 171,048 m3 of processed wood were sold to China and 143,268 to France, with many Chinese companies also serving the European market. In Europe, a new regulation requires that from 2013 all timber entering the borders carries the proof that it has been harvested legally and operators from different countries will be pushed to meet higher standards.

"We will have to get a certification for our wood products, we have no choice if we want to keep certain markets," says the representative of a Chinese state-owned enterprise selling to Europe.

Could this happen with China as well?