Forests of the Congo River Basin

Congo River Basin forests flash presentation. Photos © WWF-Canon  /  Martin Harvey, WWF-Canon  /  PJ Stephenson, WWF-Canon  /  NC Turner Use & share - see bottom green box

In the deep heart of the African continent, the Congo River Basin forests are a haven for indigenous peoples, elephants, gorillas and a bewildering array of other amazing wildlife.

One common thread links the fates of these actors: the continued existence of the world's second largest tropical rainforest expanse.

Huge and wild… but for how long?

We cannot take the existence of the Congo River Basin forests for granted. Today, unregulated and often illegal extractive activities are pushing ever further into the Congo Basin. The results? Between 1990 and 2000, approximately 91,000 km² of forests were lost in Central Africa.¹ That represents an area about 3 times the size of Belgium.

Working out solutions

There are solutions to these problems. WWF and its partners are reaching out at all levels – from villages to presidential offices – to introduce practical ways to keep the Congo River Basin forests while satisfying Central Africa’s pressing development needs. So that conservation becomes as natural as the amazing forests of the region.

Discover the Congo River Basin forests, learn about the problems, see how we work and help WWF in its conservation work.

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¹ UNEP. 2002. Forests: Africa. Global Environmental Outlook (GEO3).