Gabon is recognized as one of the most biodiverse countries in Central Africa. Long considered pristine, many of its forests have, in fact, been modified by human activities, both positively and negatively. Former villages, in particular, are sites where past human practices have left a lasting imprint on the soil and fostered an abundance of useful plants, whether for fruit or medicinal purposes. 

In this context, recent research challenges the vision of a strictly "virgin" nature and posits, on the contrary, that historical human activity may have enriched local biodiversity. The study conducted during the Wildlife Workshop thus aims to assess the effect of these former human settlements on the species diversity of fauna (mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians), testing the hypothesis that traces of past settlements still contribute to maintaining high biodiversity today.