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Wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only country in the world in which bonobos are found in the wild.
Bas-Congo landscape

The wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo includes its flora and fauna, comprising a large biodiversity in rainforests, seasonally flooded forests and grasslands.

The country is considered one of the 17 megadiverse nations, and is one of the most flora rich countries on the African continent.[1] Its rainforests harbour many rare and endemic species, such as the chimpanzee and the bonobo. It is home for more than 10,000 types of plants, 600 timber species, as well as 1,000 bird species, 280 reptile species, and 400 mammal species, including the forest elephant, gorilla, forest buffalo, bongo, and okapi. Many of these wildlife species are threatened animals such as large lowland gorillas and chimpanzees.[2]

Five of the country's national parks are listed as World Heritage Sites: the Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and Okapi Wildlife Reserve. All five sites are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage In Danger.

Several environmental issues in the DRC threaten wildlife, including overhunting for bushmeat, deforestation, mining and armed conflict. The civil war and resultant poor economic conditions have endangered much of the country's biodiversity. Many park wardens were either killed or could not afford to continue their work.

Fauna

Main article: List of mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The ecoregion is home to the endangered western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the endangered eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla berengei graueri), the endangered mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei beringei), African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), and okapi (Okapia johnstoni).[citation needed]

Animals native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Congo peafowl

Birds

Main article: List of birds of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Butterflies

Main article: List of butterflies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ants

Main article: Ants of the Democratic Republic of Congo

There are 803 species of ant confirmed in the DRC, including the highly invasive ant Pheidole megacephala which originates from the country.

A Pheidole megacephala minor worker, a species of ant native to the DRC.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hart, Terese; Robert Mwinyihali (2001). Armed Conflict and Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa:The Case of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Report). Washington, D.C.: World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. ^ Biodiversity and Forest Management in the Congo Basin (PDF). Montreal, CA: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and Central African Forests Commission. 2009. ISBN 978-92-9225-152-9. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Plumptre, A.J.; Kujirakwinja, D.; Treves, A.; Owiunji, I.; Rainer, H. (2007). "Transboundary conservation in the greater Virunga landscape: its importance for landscape species". Biological Conservation. 134 (2): 279–287. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.08.012.
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