Exceptional biodiversity
The country boasts an extraordinary variety of ecosystems, constituting a unique assemblage of habitats - from mangroves to glaciers, savannahs to swamp forests - and home to an abundance of flora and fauna unique in the world. There are some 11,000 plant species, including 3,200 endemic plants, representing around 43% of the planet's medicinal plants; 480 mammal species; 1,090 bird species; 1,600 fish species; 350 reptile species; 220 amphibian species and several tens of thousands of insect species. Many of these species are rare, found only in the Congo in specific territories, and therefore fragile. Not to mention the many (micro) plant and animal species still unknown to science today..
The green heart of Africa
The Congolese forest covers 135 million hectares, or 67% of the national territory, representing half of Africa's tropical rainforests. It is the second largest tropical forest in the world after the Amazon, and one of the last primary forests on the planet. From a climatic point of view, the forests of the Congo Basin play an essential role in absorbingCO2 from the atmosphere. They are even more efficient in this respect than the Amazon. This makes them one of the world's main natural carbon sinks, and the planet's leading "lung" in terms of carbon sequestration. They are also the source of 75-95% of local rainfall. Some 60 million people live in or near the forests of the Congo Basin, and depend heavily on the goods and services they provide. From a biodiversity point of view, these forests are home to many endangered animal species, such as the African forest elephant, the okapi, the great apes... Hence the importance of preserving these habitats, which are vital to the survival of these "umbrella species". And, by the same token, for all the other less emblematic but equally important species that live in and depend on this rich ecosystem.
At the current rate of destruction, it is estimated that the DRC's natural forests could disappear by 2100. Satellite images show that 84% of forest disturbance in the region is due to small-scale, non-mechanized clearing. The main drivers of deforestation are, in order of importance: shifting cultivation to produce food; forest degradation to produce charcoal for sale in urban centers; and informal artisanal logging (90% of wood produced and exported is said to come from illegal logging).
Protected areas
The issue of safeguarding Congolese biological diversity and nature conservation is therefore a major one in the DRC. The country currently has a network of protected areas comprising three zoological gardens (Kinshasa, Kisangani and Lubumbashi); three botanical gardens (Kinshasa, Kisantu in Central Kongo, and Eala in Ecuador); nine national parks and sixty-three related reserves, representing a total of around 12% of the country's surface area (± 250,000 km2). The aim is to eventually reach 17%.
Parks, reserves and estates
Among the many protected areas administered by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the following stand out:
Parc Marin des Mangroves (Kongo Central). Located at the mouth of the Congo River, in Moanda, this reserve aims to protect the environment of the Atlantic Ocean coast and the various biological resources that characterize these wetlands. With a surface area of 76,000 hectares, 20% of which lies in the ocean, the marine park is home to a large mangrove forest. Here you'll find aquatic species such as the African manatee, the sea turtle, the hippopotamus, water birds (heron, stork, whistling duck...) and land mammals such as the buffalo, the monkey, the bushpig... A unique site.
Salonga National Park (Tshuapa, Kasaï, Mai-Ndombe, Sankuru). Located in the central basin straddling several provinces. The Park covers an area of 3.6 million hectares, mainly covered by lowland primary forests (roughly 2.7% of the DRC's total tropical forests). It has been classified as a World Heritage site since 1980, but was removed from the list of sites in danger in July 2021. It is the largest rainforest nature reserve on the planet. The most exceptional animal it contains is the bonono, which lives only in this specific biotope. The park's biodiversity, not yet fully inventoried, is among the most remarkable in the tropics.
Garamba National Park (Haut-Uele). Created in 1938, this 500,000-hectare park lies close to the border with South Sudan. Along with Virunga, it is one of the oldest Congolese and African national parks. This extraordinary site is made up of savannahs, gallery forests and wooded areas. Before the war, the park was home to the largest population of savannah elephants in DR Congo, and the world's only population of northern white rhinoceros (now probably extinct). The Kordofan giraffe, found in no other Congolese park, can only be seen here. The park was included on the list of World Heritage in Danger in 1996. However, great efforts are being made to protect and enhance its great diversity of wildlife (lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, buffalo, warthog, serval, hyena, chimpanzee...).
Okapis Wildlife Reserve (Ituri, Haut-Uele). Created in 1992 and included on the list of World Heritage in Danger sites since 1997, the RFO occupies 1/5th of the Ituri forest in the north-east of the country (1,370,000 hectares). The reserve is home to endangered species of primates and birds, and around 5,000 of the 10,000 to 30,000 okapis thought to live in the wild in this specific biotope. Some fifteen captive okapis were being studied at the capture station, enabling observation of these very rare mammals, impossible to spot in the wild... Until the station was attacked in 2012. The project is currently being rebuilt and should eventually enable us to observe and study a few specimens of this mythical animal in captivity.
Parc National de la Maïko (Maniema, Tshopo, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu). Created in 1970, the Maïko Park covers almost 1,000,000 hectares. It is located in the Ituri forest, straddling several eastern provinces. In theory, it is home to three of the country's most spectacular endemic animal species: the rare okapi, the lowland gorilla and the no less famous Congolese peacock. In addition to a population of forest elephants, chimpanzees and buffalo, among many other species. Unfortunately, armed groups have occupied the park for several years, exerting pressure on its flora and fauna and making it difficult to access.
Virunga National Park (North Kivu). Africa's first nature park, created in 1925, it is home to the most extraordinary variety of natural habitats (biotopes) on earth, ranging from tropical forests to savannahs, from the snow-capped peaks of Ruwenzori to Lakes Edouard and Kivu, not forgetting the active volcanoes of the Virunga chain. The park is home to Africa's greatest biodiversity of flora and fauna, including the famous mountain gorillas. This has earned it UNESCO World Heritage status (in danger). It has also suffered greatly from war and poaching, having served as a refuge for armed gangs. As a result, the fauna has been decimated to alarming proportions (hippos, gorillas, elephants...). In the last ten years, however, the park has regained control, allowing the organization of some of the most popular tours (climbing the Nyiragongo volcano, gorilla watching, trekking on Mount Ruwenzori...).
Kahuzi-Biega National Park (South Kivu, North Kivu, Maniema). Created in 1970 on an area of 600,000 hectares and located 30 km north of Bukavu, the park's name refers to two extinct volcanoes: Mont Kahuzi (3,308 meters) and Mont Biega (2,790 meters). The PNKB is one of the only refuges, and the main one in the DRC, for the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringeii graueri), one of the park's most vulnerable treasures. Kahuzi-Biega has also paid a heavy price for war. As a result, the park has been on the World Heritage in Danger list since 1997. Today, however, the security situation and the number of visitors make it possible to reach the park from Bukavu and organize a visit to the gorillas, and/or to stroll through this superb natural site.
Lomami National Park (Tshopo, Maniema). This is the latest protected area to be awarded national park status in 2012. It covers an area of 255,800 hectares, and includes the Lomami-Lualaba Wildlife Reserve. The project behind the creation of the park is called TL2, named after the three rivers that form the park's borders: Tshuapa, Lomami and Lualaba. The initial aim was to determine how many bonobos were still living in these preserved forests in the heart of the Congo, as well as to take an inventory of other large animals, and to identify the threats to these species. It emerged that, in addition to bonobos, okapis, Congolese peacocks, hippos and forest elephants have also found refuge here, in addition to a newly identified species of monkey called Lesula.
Upemba and Kundelungu National Parks (Haut-Katanga, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba). Created in 1939 and covering an area of some 1,173,000 hectares, Upemba Park comprises savannah valleys, high plateaus dotted with gallery forests and the large swampy valley of the Kamalondo depression, where the Lualaba River, source of the Congo River, flows. The park boasts a typical and varied fauna. Burchel's zebra (the last Congolese specimens!), roan antelope, cape eland, hartebeest, greater kudu... are found in the highlands, while the savannahs are still home to one or another herd of elephants, possibly a few leopards, buffalo and antelope (including the previously unseen Upemba lechwe "Kobus anselli"). There is talk of the Upemba park merging with its neighbor, the no less famous Parc des Kundelungu (Haut-Katanga), home to Africa's highest waterfalls, the Lofoï (384 metres in a single stream), with which it shares a clear coherence in terms of ecological landscapes and flora and fauna. The aim is to create a single common protected area: the "Upemba-Kundelungu complex", covering a total of 2,573,000 hectares (including ancillary areas). An animal repopulation program is due to take place shortly within this new natural complex.
Some emblematic species
Like more established African tourist destinations, the DRC is also home to Africa's great mammals in its national parks. Not least the famous (until recently) "big five": lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. The northern white rhinoceros, once found in Garamba Park, has been considered extinct for some years now... We can also add the hippopotamus, Burchel's zebra and Kordofan giraffe. Not forgetting the emblematic species, some of which are endemic to the DRC, such as the great apes, the okapi and the aquatic genet. Most savannah animals are found almost exclusively in the north-eastern corner of the country, in Garamba National Park. Congolese flagship species include:
The bonobo : Pan paniscus by its scientific name. The bonobo is one of the "great apes", along with its cousins, the mountain and lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons and siamangs (the last three of which are found exclusively in Asia). Due to misunderstanding, the bonobo was long considered a subspecies of chimpanzee. Thanks to the work of Harold Coolidge, the bonobo acquired full species status in 1933. Endemic to the DRC, the bonobo's natural habitat is located in the dense forests of the Equateur region, mainly in the Salonga National Park, as well as in a few forested areas in the center of the country, including the Lomami National Park. But only on the left bank of the Congo River. It is fully protected by Congolese law, the species being considered endangered due to the progressive destruction of its habitat, and the poaching to which it is subjected. "Lola ya bonobos", a unique sanctuary on the outskirts of Kinshasa, takes in orphaned bonobos and is developing an ambitious wild release program.
Elephants: the IUCN recently formalized the existence of two distinct species of African elephant: the savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis). Both are found in DR Congo, and are classified as endangered across the continent, mainly due to poaching for their ivory tusks. The situation is even more serious for the forest elephant, whose ivory is reputedly harder. The two species live in different biotopes, and rarely cross paths. Although recent analyses have revealed that the specimens in Garamba Park are genetic hybrids of the two species... Savannah elephants made a comeback in Virunga Park in 2021: almost 600 individuals from Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda have been spotted in Virunga, and seem to feel relatively safe there. Until the 1980s, there were around 8,000 elephants in the region. The population plummeted due to poaching following the conflicts of the early 90s, which forced the herds to take refuge in neighbouring countries. Until recently, only 120 savanna elephants were estimated to remain in Virunga... Smaller than its African savannah counterpart, Loxodonta cyclotis has straighter, thinner tusks and smoother skin, enabling it to move more easily through dense forests. It lives mainly in the forests of Central and West Africa. It can be found in the Salonga National Park in the center-west of the country, in Ituri, and to a lesser extent in the west, as well as in a few spots in the east (Kivu).
Gorillas: unique in the world, the DRC has two gorilla subspecies in the east of its territory: the eastern lowland gorilla (Grauer's gorilla, or Gorilla beringei graueri), totally endemic to the DRC, which lives in low mountain areas, mainly in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. And the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), found mainly in the Virunga National Park. Both species are threatened and classified as critically endangered by the IUCN.
The Grauer's gorilla is larger and stockier, with larger hands and a slightly shorter nose. It is the largest of all gorilla subspecies.
Its head is also more elongated and its hair less long and bushy than mountain gorillas. The latter were made famous by the work of Dian Fossey.
Their diet is essentially vegetarian, consisting mainly of leaves, stems, roots, fruit and bark.
Leopard: or panther (Panthera pardus) is a species of cat in the Pantherinae subfamily. The leopard occupies an important place in certain African cultures, and in the Congo in particular, where the animal, considered the king of animals, is the attribute of chiefs. Like Mobutu's famous toque. In the last century, the leopard men of the Aniota secret society, popularized by Tintin, were also the source of many witchcraft legends... This feline being considered a messenger between the living and the dead, as illustrated by its spotted coat. Today, it is the country's emblem on the DRC coat of arms, as well as the symbol of the national soccer team. The animal, extremely discreet and hunted for its fur - although the DRC is said to be one of the few sub-Saharan African states where hunting is officially prohibited - can still be found in certain forest regions of the country.
The okapi: this strange ruminant mammal of the giraffe species, not unlike other equids such as the zebra or the donkey, is endemic to the DRC. It is found in the forest landscapes of Ituri, Maiko, North Ubangi and Bas-Uele. Although it is now known to have existed as far back as ancient Egypt, the okapi was only discovered belatedly, due to the landlocked regions in which it lives, and its legendary discretion, which makes it difficult to observe in the wild. It was the Englishman Harry Johnston who set out in 1899 in search of this mythical animal, and who collected numerous testimonies from the Pygmies who confirmed the animal's indigenous name "okapi". Hence the scientific name Okapia johnstoni. Today, the number of okapis living in the wild in this specific biotope of central and north-eastern Congo is estimated at between 10 and 30,000 individuals. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was created in 1992 with the aim of conserving this endangered species. The okapi has become the ambassador of conservation in the Congo, the animal symbol of the country and its endangered natural resources.
The Congolese peacock (Afropavo congoensis): extremely rare, this is the largest gallinaceous bird in the African forest, and is totally endemic to the DRC. It's a beautiful multicolored bird with a back covered in metallic green feathers, a light yellow and black ruff, a throat covered in reddish feathers, a dark green belly and bluish wings in the male. It looks more like a large pheasant than a classic long-tailed peacock. It was a feather from the headdress of a Pygmy in the Ituri forest that led to its discovery... It has been fully protected by law since 1933. It can be found in the Maiko National Park and its surrounding forests, in the Salonga National Park and in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Epulu, Ituri. Specimens have also recently been discovered in the forest area covered by the new Lomami Park in the center of the country.
Poaching and bushmeat
An estimated five to six million tonnes of "bushmeat" are harvested each year in the Congo Basin. This term most often refers to products derived from the illegal hunting of protected or even endangered animals. However, the consumption and sale of wild meat is essential to the livelihoods of rural communities. The most commonly hunted species are small ungulates, monkeys, crocodiles and rodents, generally trapped by wire or snare. However, new hunters are using firearms to target larger species such as forest elephants and great apes, which reproduce less easily but are essential to the survival of forests and their natural regeneration. In some regions, the consumption of monkey meat is considered to have medicinal value or is assimilated with high status... Once smoked and dried, the meat is distributed not only in the country, in Africa, but also in the United States and Europe. Although policies and legislation have been adopted to counter this phenomenon, they are not often applied in the field...
