The world's second largest rainforest
The Congo Basin forest loses more than three million hectares every year, and 10% of its soils are exploited for their mineral resources, making them particularly infertile. The slash-and-burn farming method, which causes numerous fires, is also a major culprit in the hecatomb. In addition to these two main factors, there are others, such as the construction of hydroelectric power stations, the particularly dense urbanization of certain regions, the exploitation of timber, and the freeing up of space for agriculture, which is the main sector of the economy.
Yet the challenges of forest conservation are major on an international scale. For a start, the forest acts as Central Africa's water tower. More than three-quarters of the region's rainfall comes from tree transpiration. What's more, it's the only tropical forest that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits. Between its leaves lie 45 billion tonnes of carbon. This is the focus of REDD ( Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), a UN program launched in 2008. The DRC has been one of the 9 countries targeted by the program since its inception, and benefits from research funding as well as conservation plans.
Biodiversity in the spotlight
The forest of the Congo Basin is home to numerous animals, some of them endemic, such as the famous Bonobo(Pan paniscus). The Bonobo, victim of poaching and habitat loss, is now threatened. Like the Bonobo, many other species are at risk of extinction, such as the Okapi(Okapia johnstoni), also endemic, or the African forest elephant(Loxodonta cyclotis), 60% of whose population in the Congo Basin was decimated between 2000 and 2010, due to the ivory trade. The Northern White Rhinoceros(Ceratotherium simum cottoni), once found in northeastern Congo, is the saddest example, with only two females left in a Kenyan reserve, and no breeding males, although there is still some hope of in-vitro reproduction.
WWF has been a major player in the conservation of Congolese biodiversity for over 30 years. Its main objective is to safeguard the forests of the Congo Basin. To achieve this, it uses every means at its disposal: the creation of numerous protected areas, dialogue with the authorities and local populations, the establishment of a surveillance network to combat illegal logging, and the planting of 10 million trees. The NGO is not alone in this fight: in 2011, four academic and scientific institutions from the Congo and Belgium joined forces to create the Congo 2010 Consortium, leading to the creation of the Kisangani Biodiversity Monitoring Centre. A national reference in terms of biodiversity, the institution facilitates its study and conservation.
So, while there are many losses, there are also victories, as was the case in 2020, when a herd of almost 600 elephants returned to Virunga National Park, 50 years after leaving it, a sign of improved ecological health. Like them, mountain gorillas(Gorilla beringei beringei) have seen their population increase from 274 individuals in the 1970s to over 1,000 today. In 2019, a selfie of two rangers with two of these primates went viral. It showed Ndakazi, a young female taken in by the rangers after her mother had been killed by armed men as a threat. Such intimidation is common among militias seeking to take control of the region, and had even led to the murder of 6 rangers in 2021. But the massacre of Ndakazi's family prompted the authorities to redouble their protection efforts. Today, mountain gorillas are no longer on the list of the world's 25 most endangered primates.
Soil worth its weight in gold
Under the Congolese soil lie 10% of the world's gold reserves, 20% of its diamonds, 10% of its copper, 50% of its cobalt, 70% of its coltan, and the equivalent of 22 billion barrels of oil. But these deposits quickly become a poisoned chalice, as they destroy numerous ecosystems to make way for installations. Often, the deposits are located in protected areas, which are then razed to the ground. In addition, toxic waste is discharged into the river system, causing the death of 12 people in 2021. In Lubumbashi, in the south of the country, the savannah vegetation has not grown for 30 years, even though it has been watered for years by these heavy metal discharges.
National parks: guardians of biodiversity
The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation manages the 63 reserves and 9 national parks. Of these, 5 have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage in Danger since 1994, due to the political instability threatening their ecosystems. Although preservation conditions are not up to international standards, and the areas concerned are still partially exploited, they are true refuges for biodiversity.
It was the Belgian colonial administration that created Africa's first nature park, the Virunga National Park, back in 1925. Its primary ambition was to protect the famous mountain gorilla, in an area of almost 8,000 km2. But it went on to protect much more, making it Africa's most biodiverse park. Lions, hippos, chimpanzees, elephants and buffalo take refuge in this incredible concentration of biotopes, whose variety is unrivalled anywhere on Earth. Although it is the richest, Virunga National Park is also the most threatened by the armed conflicts that plague this border region with Rwanda and Uganda, and threaten its biodiversity. A further threat hangs over this terrestrial paradise, as the Congolese government has authorized three international operators to explore an area representing 85% of the park, in search of black gold...
The Salonga National Park, on the other hand, is the largest in the country, covering an area of 36,000 km2- larger than Belgium. It was created in 1970, with the aim of conserving a relic of the primary equatorial forest. It has thus become not only the largest rainforest reserve on Earth, but also the second largest national park in the world. Its conservation is all the more essential as it is home to the world's largest bonobo population.
As for Garamba National Park, it's another animal that makes it famous: the giraffe, found in no other park! It is accompanied by other large herbivorous mammals that make the park so special: elephants, rhinoceroses and hippos. This profusion of large herbivores is due to the exceptional abundance of vegetation.
In addition to nature parks, reserves also protect flora and fauna. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is the only one listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As its name suggests, it is home to a large proportion of the country's okapi population, as well as another endemic animal: the Congo peacock. The 30,000 km2 Sankuru Nature Reserve is home to a large bonobo population.
A polluted capital
Kinshasa's 17 million inhabitants are crushed under the weight of waste. Together, they produce over 7,000 tonnes of waste every day. Africa's third largest city does not benefit from an efficient waste collection system. Yet the European Union has implemented a program to combat insalubrity, including the inauguration of a waste treatment plant in 2015 and the installation of 61 garbage stations. But without an awareness campaign, bad habits persist, and uncontrolled dumping is still commonplace. While much of the garbage is buried in the Mpasa landfill, the Congo River is, in places, completely covered with plastic bottles.
