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Flora and fauna
Bas-Congo landscape.The rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
contain great biodiversity, including many rare and endemic species, such as
both species of chimpanzee: the common chimpanzee and the bonobo (also known as
the Pygmy Chimpanzee), mountain gorilla, okapi and white rhino. Five of the
country's national parks are listed as World Heritage Sites: the Garumba,
Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and the Okapi Wildlife
Reserve. The civil war and resultant poor economic conditions have endangered
much of this biodiversity. Many park wardens were either killed or could not
afford to continue their work. All five sites are listed by UNESCO as World
Heritage In Danger.
Over the past century or so, the DRC has developed into the center of what has
been called the Central African "bushmeat" problem, which is regarded by many as
a major environmental, as well as, socio-economic crisis. "Bushmeat" is another
word for the meat of wild animals. It is typically obtained through trapping,
usually with wire snares, or otherwise with shotguns or arms originally intended
for use in the DRC's numerous military conflicts.
The "bushmeat crisis" has emerged in the DRC mainly as a result of the poor
living conditions of the Congolese people. A rising population combined with
deplorable economic conditions has forced many Congolese to become dependent on
bushmeat, either as a means of acquiring income (hunting the meat and selling),
or are dependent on it for food. Unemployment and urbanization throughout
Central Africa have exacerbated the problem further by turning cities like the
urban sprawl of Kinshasa into the prime market for bushmeat.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only country in the world in which
bonobos (Pygmy chimpanzees) are found in the wild.This combination has caused
not only widespread endangerment of local fauna, but has forced humans to trudge
deeper into the wilderness in search of the desired animal meat. This
overhunting results in the deaths of more animals and makes resources even more
scarce for humans. The hunting has also been facilitated by the extensive
logging prevalent throughout the Congo's rainforests (from corporate logging, in
addition to farmers clearing out forest in order to create areas for
agriculture), which allows hunters much easier access to previously unreachable
jungle terrain, while simultaneously eroding away at the habitats of animals.
A case that has particularly alarmed conservationists is that of primates. The
Congo is inhabited not only by two distinct species of chimpanzee - the Common
chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and the bonobo (Pan paniscus) - but by the gorilla
as well. It is the only country in the world in which bonobo are found in the
wild. The two species of chimpanzees, along with gorillas, are the closest
living evolutionary relatives to humans. Both the Pan and Gorilla genera are now
considered to be part of the subfamily Homininae to which humans also belong and
it has even been proposed that the chimpanzees should be re-categorized in the
genus Homo as well. These apes are closely related to humans and are considered
highly intelligent and much concern has been raised about Great ape extinction.
Because of hunting and habitat destruction, the chimpanzee and the gorilla, both
of whose population once numbered in the millions have now dwindled down to only
about 200,000 per species. Gorillas and both species of chimpanzee are
classified as Endangered by the World Conservation Union, as well as the okapi,
which is also native to the area.
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