Gabon juggles competing demands in fight to protect nature For those who live in poverty in and around Gabon's Akanda National Park, the forest is a resource that they need to use to survive. Loggers and miners also argue that the trees and mineral-rich land should be used, a position which is fiercely opposed by environmental campaigners. Faced with these competing pressures, the Gabonese government has to perform a tightrope act. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES