Congolese forests are a
broad belt of lowland tropical
moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of the Tropical
and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, which extends across the
basin of the Congo
River and its tributaries in Central Africa.
A mosaic of rivers, forests, savannas, swamps and flooded forests,
the Congo Basin is teeming with life. Gorillas, elephants and buffalo all call
the region home. The Congo Basin spans across six countries—Cameroon, Central
African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo,
Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
There are approximately 10, 000 species of tropical plants in the
Congo Basin and 30 percent are unique to the region. Endangered wildlife,
including forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, and lowland and mountain
gorillas inhabit the lush forests. 400 other species of mammals, 1,000 species
of birds and 700 species of fish can also be found here.
The Congo Basin has been inhabited by humans for more than 50,000
years and it provides food, fresh water and shelter to more than 75 million
people. Nearly 150 distinct ethnic groups exist and the region’s Ba’Aka people
are among the most well known representatives of an ancient hunter-gatherer
lifestyle. Their lives and well-being are linked intimately with the forest.
Geography
The Congolese forests cover southeastern Cameroon, eastern Gabon, the northern and
central Republic
of the Congo, the northern and central Democratic
Republic of the Congo and portions of southern and southwestern Central African
Republic.
Ecology
To the north and south, the forests transition to drier forest-savanna
mosaic, a mosaic of drier forests, savannas, and grasslands. To the west, the
Congolese forests transition to the coastal Lower Guinean
forests, which extend from western Gabon and Cameroon into southern Nigeriaand Benin; these forests zones share
many similarities, and are sometimes known as the Lower Guinean-Congolese
forests. To the east, the lowland Congolese forests transition to the
highland Albertine
Rift montane forests, which cover the Mountains lining the Albertine Rift, a
branch of the East
African Rift system. The Congolese Forests are a global 200 ecoregion.
The Congo Rainforest is the world’s second largest tropical
forest, spans six countries, and contains a quarter of the world’s remaining
tropical forest. With annual forest loss of 0.3% during the
2000s, the region has the lowest deforestation rate of any major tropical
forest zone.
Ecoregions
The World Wide Fund
for Nature divides the Congolese forests into a number of
distinct ecoregions:
- Northwestern Congolese lowland forests (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of Congo)
- Western Congolese swamp forests (Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Eastern Congolese swamp forests (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Central Congolese lowland forests (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Northeastern Congolese lowland forests (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic)