Democratic Republic of the Congo
África
The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds the second largest expanse of tropical rainforest in the world, after Amazonia, articulated by the Congo river, the mightiest in Africa and the second on the planet. Its size and its variety of relief have generated a biodiversity unmatched on the continent: lowland rainforest in the central basin, montane forest and active volcanoes in the east, savannah in the south and high-altitude grassland on the Rwenzori and Virunga massifs. The country has five natural World Heritage Sites, all of them placed at some point on the list of sites in danger. Virunga, the oldest national park in Africa, created in 1925, combines mountain gorillas, incandescent lava on Nyiragongo and plains with hippopotamuses.
The nature of Democratic Republic of the Congo
National animal: The okapi, national symbol and a species exclusive to the country
Did you know?
The okapi, an animal with a dark body and legs striped like a zebra's, was known to the peoples of the Ituri forest but came as a complete surprise to Western science, which did not describe it until 1901 and had regarded it as a legendary creature. It turned out to be no relative of the zebras but the only living relative of the giraffe, with which it shares the blue prehensile tongue. It exists only in the forests of this country.
Biodiversity profile
Climate
- •Ecuatorial humedo (Af) en la cuenca central
- •Tropical con estacion seca (Aw) en el norte y sur
- •Clima de montaña en las cordilleras orientales (Rift Albertino)
Main biomes
- •Selva tropical humeda (mas del 50% de los bosques tropicales de Africa, 152 millones de hectareas de terreno forestal en total, incluyendo bosques secos, pantanosos y de montaña)
- •Bosque montano del Rift Albertino (este)
- •Sabana en el sur y norte
- •Selva ecuatorial húmeda
- •Bosque de montaña afromontano
- •Volcán activo
- •Sabana meridional
- •Pradera de altitud
- •Río caudaloso y rápidos
- •Llanura inundable
Marine and coastal ecosystems
- •Pequeña salida costera al Atlantico, con manglares en el estuario del rio Congo
Flagship wildlife
- •Okapi (endemico, "unicornio del Congo")
- •Bonobo (endemico exclusivo de la RDC, unico gran simio encontrado solo en un pais)
- •Gorila oriental de tierras bajas o de Grauer (endemico)
- •Pavo real del Congo
- •Gorila de montaña
- •Gorila oriental de llanura
- •Chimpancé
- •Elefante de bosque africano
- •Hipopótamo
- •Cocodrilo del Nilo
- •Pangolín gigante
Notable endemic species
- •6% de los mamiferos y 10% de las plantas del pais son exclusivos de la RDC
- •Bonobo, presente exclusivamente en los bosques al sur del rio Congo, unico gran simio del mundo restringido a un solo pais
- •Okapi, pariente cercano de la jirafa, presente solo en el norte y noreste de la RDC
- •Pavo real del Congo, ave endemica descubierta cientificamente en 1936
- •Cinco sitios Patrimonio Mundial Natural, mas que el resto de Africa combinado
- •Okapi
- •Bonobo
- •Pavo real del Congo
- •Gorila oriental de llanura
Notable threatened species
- •Bonobo (En Peligro, unico gran simio restringido a un solo pais en el mundo)
- •Gorila oriental de Grauer (En Peligro Critico, declive poblacional severo por conflicto armado y mineria)
- •Okapi (En Peligro, presion de caza furtiva y mineria en su habitat)
- •Rinoceronte blanco del norte (funcionalmente extinto, ultimos individuos bajo proteccion en Kenia tras desaparecer de la RDC)
Notable protected areas
- •Parque Nacional de Virunga (primer parque nacional de Africa, 1925, Patrimonio Mundial en peligro)
- •Reserva de Bonobos de Kokolopori
- •Reserva de Fauna de Okapi (Patrimonio Mundial)
- •Parque Nacional de Salonga
- •Parque Nacional de Kahuzi-Biega
- •Reserva de Fauna de Okapis
- •Parque Nacional de Garamba
- •Parque Nacional de Maiko
Main conservation threats
- •Conflicto armado prolongado (incluida la insurgencia M23), que ha desplazado comunidades y amenazado especies emblematicas
- •Mineria descontrolada de minerales estrategicos en zonas de bosque protegido
- •Caza de carne de monte generalizada, con gorilas y bonobos tambien en riesgo pese a su estatus protegido
- •Corrupcion sistemica que debilita la aplicacion efectiva de la legislacion ambiental
Notable natural phenomena
- •La RDC fue el primer pais africano en establecer un parque nacional (Virunga, 1925) y hoy alberga mas sitios Patrimonio Mundial Natural que el resto de Africa combinado
Conservation
Salonga is the largest protected rainforest reserve in Africa and the main refuge of the bonobo, which lives only south of the Congo river. Armed conflict in the east has made patrolling Virunga one of the most dangerous jobs in the world for rangers.
Where and when to watch wildlife
Virunga for mountain gorillas and the Nyiragongo lava lake, subject to security conditions. Kahuzi-Biega for eastern lowland gorillas. Ituri for okapis and forest communities.
Sources: Fauna & Flora - Democratic Republic of Congo | African Wildlife Foundation - DRC | Interactive Country Fiches (UNEP-GRID) - Biodiversity DRC | largelandscapes.org - DRC FOCUS Brief | BioDB.com - DR Congo
Parks and reserves
Garamba
One of the oldest national parks in Africa; it lost its last wild northern white rhino in 2008, ending the subspecies in the wild
View parkNational ParkKahuzi-Biega
The world's principal sanctuary of the eastern lowland gorilla, the largest gorilla subspecies and the largest primate on the planet
View parkWorld Heritage Site (Natural)Reserva de Fauna de Okapis
The Ituri forest, home of the okapi and of the Mbuti, on the List in Danger since 1997.
View parkNational ParkSalonga
The largest protected rainforest reserve in Africa; the only habitat of the bonobo, a close relative of the chimpanzee found solely in the DR Congo
View parkNational ParkVirunga
The oldest national park in Africa (1925); it holds roughly a third of all the mountain gorillas in the world
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Especies documentadas en Democratic Republic of the Congo
228 species found
EndangeredGrey Parrot
Psittacus erithacus
EndangeredGiant Pangolin
Smutsia gigantea
VulnerableCheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
VulnerableCommon Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
VulnerableGiraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
VulnerableLion
Panthera leo
VulnerableLeopard
Panthera pardus
VulnerableAfrican Leopard
Panthera pardus pardus
VulnerableMandrill
Mandrillus sphinx
VulnerableTopi
Damaliscus lunatus
Near ThreatenedBongo
Tragelaphus eurycerus
Near ThreatenedAfrican Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
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Based on what we already know about Democratic Republic of the Congo.