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Isotopic and sedimentological analyses were undertaken at Lope 2, an archaeological site in the middle le Ogooue valley, in central Gabon. Analysis of sediments confirmed for the first time the transition between the arid period at the end of the Pleistocene and the humid period at the beginning of the Holocene, about 10,000 years BP. Isotopic analyses showed that the modern savannas, which persist in the region, date back at least to about 9,000-8,000 BP. Human presence at the site was confirmed at the same date and it is probable that fires lit by humans have maintained savanna vegetation since this time.