Trans-frontier conservation area: Rwanda, Uganda,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ten hectares of the world’s forests are destroyed every minute, amounting to 4.9 million hectares a year. Between 1990 and 2005, 72.9 million hectares of forest vanished. Forests cover a total surface area of 3.69 billion hectares, or 30% of the Earth’s land mass.
These are the latest figures published by the FAO on 30 November 2011, which also reveal that the rate of net loss of forested land is speeding up, rising from 4.1 million hectares between 1990 and 2000 to 6.4 million hectares between 2000 and 2005.
These are the latest figures published by the FAO on 30 November 2011, which also reveal that the rate of net loss of forested land is speeding up, rising from 4.1 million hectares between 1990 and 2000 to 6.4 million hectares between 2000 and 2005.
According to
the FAO’s report, State
of the World’s Forests 2011, Africa has around 675 million hectares
of forested land, equivalent to 17% of the world’s forests. The five countries
with the largest forested area (Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Angola,
Zambia and Mozambique) are home to more than half of the forests on the
entire African continent.
The Congo Basin is the African Amazon: with 2 million km2 of forest (seven times the size of Italy), it is the second largest rainforest in the world. It is home to 10,000 species of plant, 400 mammals, 1,000 birds, 1,300 butterflies and flagship species such as the gorilla, leopard, chimpanzee and forest elephant.
The Virunga Mountains in central Africa are home to the golden monkey (cercopithecus kandti), a species of primate distinguished by the golden-orange patch on its upper flanks and back. The very small habitat of these monkeys – between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – combined with deforestation and the political conditions in the area, have brought the animal to the verge of extinction.
The mountain gorillas in the rainforests along the border between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also at risk of extinction. This area contains five national parks, three of which have already been designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). Deforestation for timber collection or agricultural purposes and poaching have affected the parks and reduced the gorillas’ habitat. In the last ten years three out of four gorillas have disappeared: they are dying out along with the forest and, if things continue at this rate, in 20 years’ time only 10% of their habitat will be left.
The Congo Basin is the African Amazon: with 2 million km2 of forest (seven times the size of Italy), it is the second largest rainforest in the world. It is home to 10,000 species of plant, 400 mammals, 1,000 birds, 1,300 butterflies and flagship species such as the gorilla, leopard, chimpanzee and forest elephant.
The Virunga Mountains in central Africa are home to the golden monkey (cercopithecus kandti), a species of primate distinguished by the golden-orange patch on its upper flanks and back. The very small habitat of these monkeys – between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – combined with deforestation and the political conditions in the area, have brought the animal to the verge of extinction.
The mountain gorillas in the rainforests along the border between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also at risk of extinction. This area contains five national parks, three of which have already been designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). Deforestation for timber collection or agricultural purposes and poaching have affected the parks and reduced the gorillas’ habitat. In the last ten years three out of four gorillas have disappeared: they are dying out along with the forest and, if things continue at this rate, in 20 years’ time only 10% of their habitat will be left.
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image: Trans-frontier conservation area: Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic
Republic of the Congo Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 8 July 2011 |
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For these reasons, WWF has launched its Green Heart of Africa campaign, requesting support for a rescue plan based on five points: stopping the sale of tropical wood that does not have sustainable timber certification; increasing the number of protected areas; restricting the building of dams and roads; reducing commercial hunting; and implementing pilot schemes in the area to reduce deforestation and create income from sources other than the destruction of the forests.
Protecting the parks is difficult due to the extensive borders that run along extremely inaccessible terrain. Moreover, there are very few adequate maps of the area. A project launched by the ESA called BEGo (Build Environment for Gorillas) uses Earth observation data to map the region and help the conservation organisations working in the parks and the surrounding areas.
More details:
http://anniekatec.blogspot.com/2010/12/mountain-gorilla-numbers-soar.html http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/archive/fossey-gorillas-1970/dian-fossey-text
http://archivio.dirittiglobali.it/articolo-vs.php?id_news=7532
http://www.ilcambiamento.it/foreste/foreste_tropicali_estinzione_specie_2100.html
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image: Trans-frontier conservation area: Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 8 July 2011
Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 8 July 2011