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Is the Congo Basin protected?
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has the greatest extent of tropical rainforests in Africa, covering more than 100 million hectares. Already more than 8 percent of DR Congo is protected in reserves, and the government has indicated an intent to expand conservation areas to 10-15 percent of the country.
Why is the African rainforest in the Congo River basin becoming endangered?
Looking forward, the biggest threats to the Congo rainforest come from industrial logging and conversion for large-scale agriculture. Some environmentalists fear that the Congo could be on the verge of a massive increase in deforestation for palm oil, rubber, and sugar production.
How is the Congo Basin being protected?
More than 10% of the forest is now covered by two massive conservation areas. Another 45,000 sq km is being managed sustainably, with Forest Stewardship Council certification. And at a second summit in 2005, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) committed to protecting another 150,000 sq km.
How much of the Congo rainforest is left?
fifty percent
Roughly fifty percent (154 million hectare) of the remaining rainforest in the Congo Basin lies within the boundaries of the DRC. The DRC is one of the most Flora rich countries on the continent.
What is the future of the Congo rainforest?
According to the experts’ calculations, deforestation will rise by at least 55 and possibly by up to 140 percent in the decade between 2020 and 2030, compared to the period from 2000 to 2010. The areas most affected are the centre of Cameroon and the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
How many species of trees are in the Congo Basin?
The Congo River is the second largest in the world by discharge, winding through Central Africa and providing water and life to the rainforest. The rainforest of the Congo Basin is home to 600 different species of trees and about 8000 species of plants, of which a third are not found anywhere else on Earth.
Are there any animals in the Congo Basin that are endangered?
But even its remoteness cannot protect wildlife like gorillas and elephants from the threat of extinction from poaching.
How is the Congo Basin rainforest being destroyed?
Not so much, according to this newest study. It reveals that the dominant force behind rising Congo deforestation, driving more than 80 percent of the region’s total forest loss, is actually small-scale clearing for subsistence agriculture. The researchers write that most of it is done by hand with simple axes.
What kind of forest is in the DR Congo?
Half of the tropical rainforest in DR Congo is primary forest: old-growth forest that has not been logged. The Congo Basin, whose rainforest is second only to that of the Amazon in size, is an enormous treasure trove burgeoning with life and natural resources: