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Education | Forest Function | Global Carbon | Land/Water | Landcover/Land Use | Science in Public Affairs
Building Tours | Seminars | Global Warming Primer | Staff Essays | Published Literature | Related Sites
Salonga National Park, DRCThe Salonga National Park encompasses the largest tract of protected tropical rainforest in the world (approximately 36,000 km2), and was incorporated as a World Heritage Site in 1984. As on of the most remote regions in Central Africa, Salonga supports a diversity of forest habitats and many endangered animal species. Due to its lack of road access, rivers serve as both transportation and communication networks for the region. Although the park was first established in 1970, until recently there has been little infrastructure developed for research and no official management plan for conservation. The park is divided into two sectors of approximately equal size.
The WHRC is working with various partners to support the conservation of Salonga National Park through mapping. Our collaborators include the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the University of Kinshasa (ERAIFT), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM). Natural EnvironmentSalonga is comprised of a diversity of forest habitats with various floristic associations. The general categories include upland, riparian, and inundated forests. The majority of these forests are semi-evergreen (or semi-deciduous) in nature, but evergreen and mono-dominant forests of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei also exist. In addition, there are also small pockets of grassland enclosed within the forest landscape. This grassland formation becomes more extensive in the southern portion of the region and outside the park. Salonga is also home to a large number of animal species, perhaps the most important of which is the dwarf chimpanzee (Pan paniscus). Also known as the bonobo, this primate is endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo and is not found in any other national park in the country. For a more comprehensive description of the flora and fauna of Salonga, please visit the fact sheets of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) and of the ICCN. Land UseDue to its locations within one of the most remote areas of Africa, the primary Threats to ConservationPoaching, or illegal hunting of protected species, is the most immediate threat to conservation in Salonga National Park. During the civil war of 1996 to 1999, illegal hunting by armed rebel groups became widespread within the region. There was an ample supply of automatic weapons and ammunition, and bush meat was transported via the extensive river network in the region. Although armed conflict ended with the signing of the Lusaka cease-fire agreement in 1999, the problem of poaching persists in the region. Nevertheless, Salonga remains the most “secure” national park among the five World Heritage Sites in the DRC. There are currently no active logging concessions in the area of Salonga National Park. This fact, coupled with the low population density, means there is currently no threat of deforestation or forest degradation in the region. However, as political stability returns to the DRC, it may bring with it a renewal of large-scale industrial logging. The return of logging may lead to the construction of roads in the region and the migration of people into the area in response to job opportunities with timber companies. The introduction of human access into the remote forest of Salonga could, without proper management, increase poaching, deforestation, and forest degradation to the extent seen in many other parts of the Central African forest. It is therefore crucial to seize the current window of opportunity to develop adequate policies and implement sound practices for land-use planning and forest management to ensure the future conservation of Salonga National Park.
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land use of the Salonga National Park is forest conservation. Human settlements have been limited in the region, with less than 2,000 people living inside the park (roughly 0.05 persons/km2). Traditional activities include fishing, hunting-gathering, and subsistence farming, which was discontinued within the park during the mid-1970s. Currently, only a handful of fishing camps and research stations are located within the protected area. A limited amount of cultivation is found between Salonga’s southern and northern sectors.