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)

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)
• Bush meat trade: Up to 1.7 million tonnes of bushmeat are harvested annually

Question 13

Positives of Virunga National Park (management)

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

Positives of Sustainable Forest Certification (management)

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

Positives of World Bank Funding (management)

Answer 15

World Bank Funding:

• ​Reduced deforestation due to kerosene stoves and alternative farming methods = 4.5 million tonnes reduction in CO2 equivalent
• Improved quality cooking stoves for people in Kinshasa

Question 16

Negatives of Virunga National Park (management)

Answer 16

Virunga National Park:

• In 1994, the Rwandan genocide saw more than one million refugees place tremendous pressure on the park forests
• In 2007, members of an illegal charcoal mafia murdered a family of mountain gorillas
• Management problems - the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) are in charg

Question 17

Negatives of Sustainable Forest Certification (management)

Answer 17

Sustainable Forest Certification:

• GFTN only monitors logging, doesn’t prevent logging
• Independent audits of the GFTN saw them to mismanage much of the donated money.
• The GFTN give countries a 5 year grace period when they join when there is still no punishment for illegal logging

Question 18

Negatives of World Bank Funding (management)

Answer 18

World Bank Funding:

• Money is channelled through the government which has a poor record for corruption
• Focus on Kinshasa when 60% of the DRC lives in rural areas