Ecosystems of the Planet - Congo Basin CS

Question 1

Where is the Congo Basin Located?

Answer 1

Spans across six countries. Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, DRC, CAR Gabon, Republic of Congo

Question 2

What size is Congo Basin Rainforest?

Answer 2

500 million acres

Question 3

What percent of the world’s remaining rainfrorest does it make up?

Answer 3

18%

Question 4

How many people live in the Congo Basin?

Answer 4

75 million

Question 5

Who are the Hunter-gatherer people?

Answer 5

Ba’ka people

Question 6

What percentage of plants are unique to the region?

Answer 6

30%

Question 7

Number of plant species

Answer 7

10,000

Question 8

How many species of animals?

Answer 8

400 species of mammals, 1,000 species of birds and 700 species of fish

Question 9

Endangered Animals

Answer 9

Forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, and lowland and mountain gorillas

Question 10

Examples of Interdependency in the Congo basin rainforest

Answer 10

• Strangler Figs:Seeds deposited by mammals/birds and needs trees to grow around, provides niche and food source to invertebrates, rodents, bats, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, provides fig fruits for Bonobo
• Bonobo: Find food in canopy (25-40m high), 57% diet from fruit, but supplemented with leaves, honey, eggs, and meat from small vertebrates e.g. anomalures, flying squirrels and duikers
• Congolese people: Reliant on bush meat for protein (Bonobo’s and gorillas) and use leaves and rots for over 50 traditonal medicines
• Moabi Tree: Key food source for elephants
• Elephants: Distribute moabi seeds

Question 11

What is the value of he Congo Basin Rainforest?

Answer 11

• Home to ½ of elephants on continent, most gorillas, Bonobo and Okapi reliant on the forest
• Key store of carbon - 22.9 gigatons of carbon stored in DRC
• Tin, Coltan(80% of worlds coltan)
• Indigenous tribes live off rainforest e.g bush beat. Also place of refuge in the times of strife

Question 12

What are the threats to the Congo Basin Rainforest?

Answer 12

• Deforestation (Logging, mining, agriculture):

Deforestation rate: between 0.15 and 0.20% per year (250,000 to 300,000 hectares)

190 species are classified as critically endangered

Currently estimated that 30% of the Congo rainforest will have disappeared by 2030

• Poaching: Since 1980, the Central African Elephant population has declined by 62% (due to demand for ivory)

Question 13

Management of the Congo Basin

Answer 13

• Virunga National Park:

The ranger force and improved surveillance stop illegal logging and poaching in the park’s 7800 km2

Increase in tourist activities will provide income for locals

60,000 new jobs by 2025

Improved drinking water, health and education for 4 million people by 2025

Question 14

Management of the Congo Basin(2)

Answer 14

• Sustainable Forest Certification:

Internationally renowned for transparency and quality of work. They are independent and so free from corruption in govt

FSC criteria includes whether the rights of local and indigenous peoples are respected and whether there are safe working conditions.

The GFTN train local communities

5 million hectares of rainforest have been FSC certified (an area larger than the Netherlands)

Question 15

Management of Congo Basin negatives

Answer 15

Vriunga National: