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CONGO
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Congo Forest Figures
Forest Cover
Total forest area: 22,471,000 ha
% of land area: 65.8%
Primary forest cover: 7,464,000 ha
% of land area: 21.9%
% total forest area: 33.2%
Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005
Annual change in forest cover: -17,000 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.1%
Change in defor. rate since '90s: 0.8%
Total forest loss since 1990: -255,000 ha
Total forest loss since 1990:-1.1%
Primary or "Old-growth" forests
Annual loss of primary forests: -5600 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.1%
Change in deforestation rate since '90s: 0.7%
Primary forest loss since 1990: -28,000 ha
Primary forest loss since 1990:-1.1%
Forest Classification
Public: 100%
Private: 0%
Other: 0%
Use
Production: 88.2%
Protection: n/a
Conservation: 4.4%
Social services: n/a
Multiple purpose: 7.4%
None or unknown: n/a
Forest Area Breakdown
Total area: 22,471,000 ha
Primary: 7,464,000 ha
Modified natural: 14,957,000 ha
Semi-natural: n/a
Production plantation: 51,000 ha
Production plantation: n/a
Plantations
Plantations, 2005: 51,000 ha
% of total forest cover: 0.2%
Annual change rate (00-05): n/a
Carbon storage
Above-ground biomass: 8,356 M t
Below-ground biomass: 2,005 M t
Area annually affected by
Fire: 17,000 ha
Insects: n/a
Diseases: n/a
Number of tree species in IUCN red list
Number of native tree species: 334
Critically endangered: n/a
Endangered: n/a
Vulnerable: n/a
Wood removal 2005
Industrial roundwood: 1,450,000 m3 o.b.
Wood fuel: 1,317,000 m3 o.b.
Value of forest products, 2005
Industrial roundwood: $222,545,000
Wood fuel: $20,091,000
Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): n/a
Total Value: $242,636,000
More forest statistics for Congo
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The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) is second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo in terms of tropical rainforest coverage among African countries. It is also strikingly diverse for its size—home to 597 species of birds, 166 mammals, 58 amphibians, 149 reptiles, and more than 6,000 species of plants.
Congo's forests are highly threatened by logging, colonization of forest lands, and poaching of animal species. Industrial logging has accelerated since the government privatized the timber industry, and much of the new exploitation is taking place in the relatively untouched forests of northern Congo, not in the easily accessible southern region where timber harvesting has historically taken place.
The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it may increasingly look towards its forests as a source of revenue.
While the government of Congo likes to claim that it has a sustainable forest policy and has introduced legislation to limit what species can be extracted from its forests, reports from the ground indicate that logging companies may largely ignore these regulations and log intensely. Further, illegal logging is a well-documented problem, and corruption undermines even the most basic enforcement efforts.
The hunting of wild game is a major conservation concern in Congo. Bushmeat hunting proliferates in logging camps and along logging roads, while elephants are poached for their ivory. Poor rural colonists use logging roads to access hunting grounds and establish homesteads, where they collect fuelwood and use slash-and-burn techniques to clear rainforest for subsistence agriculture.
Nouabalé-Ndoki is one of Congo's best known and most important national parks. Located deep in the Congo Basin rainforest, this part is home to gorillas, chimps, forest elephants, buffalos, and bongos. It, together with Lobéké National Park in Cameroon and Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, forms a giant protected area consisting of primary lowland rainforest. In total, almost 16 percent of Congo's land area is under some form of protection.
Recent articles
Bigger is better for gorillas
(05/02/2012) A new study confirms that bigger and stronger silverback gorillas have more success finding mates and raising offspring.
Republic of the Congo expands park to protect fearless chimps
(02/16/2012) The Republic of the Congo has expanded its Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park by 37,295 hectares (144 square miles) to include a dense swamp forest, home to a population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) that show no fear of humans. Known as the Goualougo Triangle, the swamp forest is also home to forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). The expansion of the park to include the Goualougo Triangle makes good on a government commitment from 2001.
87 marine mammals still eaten by people
(01/24/2012) Threats to marine mammals usually include climate change, drowning as by-catch, pollution, depletion of prey, but what about eating marine mammals? A new study in Biological Conservation finds that a surprising 87 marine mammals—including polar bears, small whales, and dolphins—have been eaten as food since 1990 in at least 114 countries.
Community mapping of African rainforests could show way forward for preservation, REDD
(12/01/2011) A new initiative to place community mapping of central African rainforests online could prove key to local rights in the region, says the UK-based NGO Rainforest Foundation. Working with forest communities in five African countries, Rainforest Foundation has helped create digital maps of local forests, including use areas, parks, and threats such as logging and mining. The website, MappingForRights.org, includes interactive maps, photos, and video.
World nations see six all-time record high temperatures, no lows so far in 2011
(08/16/2011) Eight months into the year, six nations have seen record high temperatures, including Kuwait, Iraq, Armenia, Iran, and Republic of the Congo, reports Jeff Master's Wunderblog. To date no record lows have been recorded in any country in the world so far. This is similar, though not quite as extreme, to last year when twenty countries broke all time highs with none hitting an all time low.
Suggested reading - Books
Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]
Other resources
Contact me if you have suggestions on other rainforest-related environmental sites and resources for this country.
Image copyright Google Earth, MDA EarthSet, DigitalGlobe 2005
CIA-World Factbook Profile
FAO-Forestry Profile
World Resources Institute
Last updated: 4 Feb 2006
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