Editorial analysis. The organisations and projects mentioned are confirmed in the sources listed at the end.
Whoever knows a rainforest trail, the medicinal plants or the stories of a plantation did not learn it from a book. That community knowledge is the greatest asset of nature tourism in São Tomé and Príncipe, and of conservation too.
Guide associations in the Network
- AGSTP – Associação Guias de São Tomé e Príncipe (Água Grande): guides in Obô Park and responsible tourism routes.
- Associação Lussua Local Tour And Guide (Monte Café, Mé-Zóchi): guides in Obô Park; home of the network’s point of sale.
- Associação Guias de Agostinho Neto (Lobata): guides and tourist accompaniment.
- MAGPT-S.T.P (Roça Água Izé, Cantagalo): association of professional tourist guides.
Park guardians
Between 2017 and 2021, under ECOFAC 6, PTRS trained 15 guardians of Obô Natural Park from the neighbouring communities. Today, under the Agripalma Compensation Project, PTRS guardians carry out patrols and awareness-raising in the south.
What comes next
The CSO Platform project includes capacity-building workshops for local guides and tourist guides linked to CSOs, and the introduction of a visitor revenue system in Obô Park. Trained, organised guides, with revenue going back to the Park, are one of the most direct ways for tourism to pay for conservation.
For visitors: when choosing a route in the Obô, choose guides from local associations. See the experiences and the information points.
Sources
- “About PTRS” text (PTRS, 2026), published at About PTRS
- Contact and information lists of the CSOs in the 3 District Networks (PTRS, October 2026), published on the National CSO Network pages
- Fact sheet of the “CSO Platform for Delegated Management” project, ADPM (in Portuguese)
