Africa's remaining rainforests are found in the Congo river basin but African Rainforests are being cleared at an alarming rate amid global demand for minerals, energy and wood resources from Africa.
The Congo Basin is the 2nd largest rainforest in the world, rainforests in Africa are found in West Africa and West-Central Africa. The gorilla is probably the most well-known resident of the rainforest, but poaching and deforestation have greatly reduced their numbers.
| Profits over nature |
The Congo basin is the 2nd largest rainforest in the world covering seven African countries, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and small areas of Nigeria and Angola with about half lying within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Almost 80 percent of Africa’s rainforest is in the Congo Basin covering 1.3 million square miles, four times the size of Spain. The Congo basin is on both sides of the Equator in west-central Africa. Rainforests in Africa are found in West Africa and West-Central Africa. Rainforests are the biodiverse; rainforests containing the greatest diversity of life on Earth. Rainforests contain hundreds of species of birds, elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas.
| The Congo basin is the 2nd largest rainforest in the world |
The gorilla is probably the most well-known resident of the rainforest, but poaching and deforestation have greatly reduced their numbers. The rainforest supports thousands plant species but among the best known are the oil palm and the mahogany tree. Oil palms account for approximately 14 percent of the world's plant-based oils such as vegetable oil found in local supermarkets.
The Congo Basin forests are a lifeline for more than 60 million people providing food and income for many remote communities, storing huge amounts of carbon, supporting unique ecosystems and regulating the flow of the major rivers across Central Africa. Yet the Congo's forests are being cleared at an alarming rate amid global demand for minerals, energy and wood resources from Africa. Research into the issues facing the Congo Basin is more critical than ever.
