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EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Equatorial Guinea Forest Figures
Forest CoverTotal forest area: 1,632,000 ha % of land area: 58.2%
Primary forest cover: n/a % of land area: n/a % total forest area: n/a
Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005Annual change in forest cover: -15,200 ha Annual deforestation rate: -0.9% Change in defor. rate since '90s: 8.9% Total forest loss since 1990: -228,000 ha Total forest loss since 1990:-12.3%
Primary or "Old-growth" forests Annual loss of primary forests: n/a Annual deforestation rate: n/a Change in deforestation rate since '90s: n/a Primary forest loss since 1990: n/a Primary forest loss since 1990:n/a
Forest ClassificationPublic: n/a Private: n/a Other: n/a Use Production: n/a Protection: n/a Conservation: n/a Social services: n/a Multiple purpose: n/a None or unknown: n/a
Forest Area BreakdownTotal area: 1,632,000 ha Primary: n/a Modified natural: n/a Semi-natural: n/a Production plantation: n/a Production plantation: n/a
PlantationsPlantations, 2005: n/a % of total forest cover: n/a Annual change rate (00-05): n/a
Carbon storageAbove-ground biomass: 186 M t Below-ground biomass: 45 M t
Area annually affected byFire: n/a Insects: n/a Diseases: n/a
Number of tree species in IUCN red listNumber of native tree species: n/a Critically endangered: 1 Endangered: 4 Vulnerable: 11
Equatorial Guinea is located in a region of high animal diversity, including 194 species of mammals, 418 birds, and 91 reptiles (World Resources Institute). The country is also home to 3,250 species of plants.
This biodiverse country has been heavily impacted over the last 35 years by agriculture and timber harvesting. Primary rainforest covered 50 percent of the country and secondary forest 10 percent in 1959. By 1985, primary coverage had been reduced to 28 percent, while secondary coverage had fallen to 8 percent. The most diverse region, the coastal Mbini, has been hit the hardest by deforestation. Most of the remaining primary forests are located in inaccessible parts of the interior.
Additional threats to the forest come from natural gas fields and oil exploration. Extensive hunting for food and trapping for the exotic pet trade are taking their toll on this country's wildlife.
On paper, 16.8 percent of the country is under some form of protection.
Congo basin rainforest countries
(01/15/2010) Payments for ecosystem services may be a key component in maintaining Central Africa's rainforests as healthy and productive ecosystems, finds a comprehensive assessment of the region's forests.
China's log imports fall 19% in first half of 2008 due to high prices
(08/27/2008) China's imports of raw logs plunged 18.7 percent by volume for the first half of 2008 due to rising prices and a cooling Chinese economy, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization.
Britain, Norway commit $210 million towards Congo rainforest conservation
(06/24/2008) The governments of Britain and Norway last week announced a $211 million (108 million) initiative to conserve rainforests in the Congo Basin. The plan calls for the use of an advanced satellite camera to monitor deforestation in the region and funding for community-based conservation projects.
Logging roads rapidly expanding in Congo rainforest
(06/07/2007) Logging roads are rapidly expanding in the Congo rainforest, report researchers who have constructed the first satellite-based maps of road construction in Central Africa. The authors say the work will help conservation agencies, governments, and scientists better understand how the expansion of logging is impacting the forest, its inhabitants, and global climate.
