Transboundary landscapes
Overview
A landscape is a broad ecological entity comprising intact nuclei similar to protected areas with high ecological potential often harbouring endemic species such as the great apes, and populated areas where people face pressing development needs. The Congo Basin, the second largest expanse of tropical forest after the Amazon, contains twelve (12) Landscapes, namely: Monte-Alen-Monts de Cristal ; Gamba-Mavumba-Conkouati ; Lope -Chailu-Louesse, Dja-Odzala-Minkebe ; Sangha Tri-National ; Econi-Bateke-Lefini ; Lake-Tele-Lake-Tumba ; Selonga-Lukenie-Sankuru, Maringa-Lapori-Wamba ; Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega; Ituri-Epulu-Aru; Virunga.
As a whole, the landscapes span roughly 680,300 km², spread across Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. The concept of a landscape is a key component of COMIFAC’s (Central African Forest Commission) strategic Convergence Plan which came out of the Heads of State Summit on sustainable forest management in Yaounde in 1999. Most conservation actors currently involved in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) have embraced the landscape concept.
The Congo basin transboundary landscapes as tools
The landscape approach to biodiversity conservation increasingly promotes regional integration. In fact, most ecological landscapes extend beyond international borders, highlighting the need for regional cooperation in implementing conservation measures.
Summary of 12 Congo basin landscapes
Area: 26,747 km
Partners: WCS CI, UNGE,
INDEFOR, University of Acalá, Missouri Botanical Garden, Imperial College, CNPN, MINEF, Herbarium
Gabonese national, Wageningen University, Boston College, Smithsonian Institute
National Parks: 3, covering 3 900
Km (15% of the landscape).
Biodiversity (Number of species)
Plants: > 3000
Mammals: AD
Birds: > 340
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant
- Western Gorilla
- Chimpanzee
- Hippopotamus
- False gharial crocodile
- Leopard
- AD plants
Major Threats
Direct
- Unsustainability of the hunt
- Unsustainability of the operation
industrial and family woodworking
- Mining (gold)
Indirect
- Weakness of the institutions in charge of landscape management
- Strong urban demand for game meat
- Lack of alternative protein resources and revenues
- Crop damage
- Lack of planning information
Key interventions
- Threat Assessment
- Creation of a National Biodiversity Institute
- Creation of a conservation monitoring system
- Development of a sustainable wildlife and timber resource management system in the concessions
- Development of sustainable community resource management plans
Area: 34,390 km
Partners: APDN, ASF, Biotopic, CI,
CNPN, CRAP, Cybertracker Monitoring Program, National Herbarium of Gabon, Ibonga, MINEF, MEFE, Protomac, PSVAP, SCD, Shell, SI, Wageningen University, WCS, WWF
National parks: 4, covering 6,700 km of land and 830 km of marine areas, i.e. 20% of the landscape.
Biodiversity (number of species)
Plants: 2121
Mammals: 89
Birds: 380
Reptiles: 42
Amphibians: 70
Endangered species:
Animals
- Forest elephant - Western gorilla
-Chimpanzee - Manatee
- Nile crocodile and false gharial
- Leatherback Turtle and the Pelusios marani turtle
Plants
- Hyfhaene guineensis - Didelotia pauli-sitai
- Combretum ivanii - Xanthocercis rabiensis
Major Threats to the Landscape
Direct
- Illegal hunting
- Unsustainable timber harvesting
- Illegal fishing on the coast and at sea
- Oil Development
- Gold mining
- Agricultural expansion
Indirect
- Lack of clear management systems for protected areas
- Low capacity
- Lack of alternative protein resources and income for local people
-Lack of wildlife management in the national forest policy
- Lack of legal structure for the institution in charge of the management of national parks in Gabon.
Non-functional zoning plan for the Conkouati-Douli National Park.
Essential interventions
- Threat Assessment
- Zoning and development planning
-Wildlife management in protected areas
-Biological and socio-economic monitoring
- Development of sustainable financing mechanisms
- Sustainable resource use planning at the community level
- Environmental education and capacity building of local NGOs
-Promotion of alternative revenue-generating activities
- Development of ecotourism
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Area: 34 859 km2
Partners: CIRMF, CNPN, ECOFAC, ELF, European Union, London Zoological Society, MINEF, Missouri Botanical Gardens, WCS
National Parks: 3, covering 6,730 km2 , 19% of the Landscape
Biodiversity (number of species)
- Plants: > 1500
- Mammals: > 84
- Birds: > 400
- Reptiles: AD -
Amphibians: AD
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant
- Western Gorilla
-Chimpanzé
- Sun-tailed Monkey
- Mandrill
AD plants
Major Threats
Direct
- Illegal hunting
- Unsustainable Industrial Logging Indirect
- Lack of clear management systems for protected areas
- Low capacity
- Lack of alternative sources of protein and income for local people
- Lack of wildlife management in national forest policy
- Lack of legal structure of the authority managing national parks in Gabon
Key interventions
- Threat Assessment
- Zoning and management planning
- Development and implementation of wildlife management systems in protected areas
- Establishment of effective monitoring and GIS systems
- Environmental Education
Area: 141,000 km
Partners: MINEF-Cameroon, MEF-Gabon, MEF-Congo, CNPNGabon, WWF, WCS, CIFOR, JGI, GEF/UNPD, EU, ECOFAC, UNF/UNESCO, FIGET, IRET
Protected areas: 4 covering 25 300 km or 18% of the landscape
Biodiversity :
Plants: High (DA)
Mammals: 191
Birds: 520
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant - Western gorilla
- Chimpanzee - Hippopotamus
- Congo otter - False gharial crocodile
- Soft-shelled turtle - Nile Lion Crocodile
Plants
- Baillonnella toxisperma (outside protected areas)
Major Threats
Direct
- Industrial Logging
- Commercial hunting
- Elephant hunting for ivory and meat
- Unsustainable fishing
- Unsustainable subsistence hunting
- Mortality of great apes due to Ebola virus
- Iron mining
Indirect
- Low capacity of government officials
- Lack of a forest zoning plan
- Weak wildlife management policy
- Insufficient support for anti-poaching efforts
Key interventions
- Anti-poaching at the level of concessions, protected areas and access watercourses
- Wildlife management planning in concessions
- Participatory development of new wildlife regulations
- Development of ecotourism
- Development of sustainable means of financing
Area: 36,236 km
Partners: MEFE, MINEF, MEFCPET, WWF, WCS, GTZ, CIB, SBB, Decolvenaere, SEFAC
National Parks : Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (419,000 ha) in the Republic of Congo, Lobéké National Park (43,000 ha) in Cameroon, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (125,100 ha) in the Central African Republic and the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve (310,100 ha) in the Central African Republic.
Biodiversity (number of species)
Plants: 1071
Mammals: 58
Birds: 302
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant
- Western Gorilla
- Chimpanzee
- Hippopotamus
- Spot-necked otter
- Dwarf crocodile
Plants
- Autranella congolensis
- Pericopsis alata
- Diospyros crassiflora
- Swartzia fistuloides
- Kaya spp.
- Entandrophragma spp.
Major Threats
Direct
- Commercial hunting
- Unsustainable village hunting
- Industrial Logging
- Diamond mining
Indirect
- Lack of information
- Low capacities
- Lack of alternative sources of protein and income for local people
- Lack of wildlife management in national forest policies
- Unrest and civil war
Key interventions
Threat Assessment
Community resource use planning
Development and implementation of sustainable wildlife management in the concessions
Improving the management of protected areas
Creation of sustainable financing systems
Implementation of effective monitoring
Area: 35.138 km
Partners: CNPN, IGAD, INC, MINEF, Missouri Botanical Gardens, PPG-Gabon, WCS, MINEF-Congo, PPG-Congo
National Parks: 1, (2,050 km or 6% of the Landscape); 1 proposed (5[skip]300)
Biodiversity (number of species)
- Plants: AD
- Mammals: AD
- Birds: AD
- Reptiles: AD
- Amphibians: AD
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant
- Western Gorilla
- Chimpanzee
-Lion
- Grimm's duiker
Plants : AD
Major Threats
Direct
- Illegal hunting and bush fires
- Unsustainable agriculture Indirect
- Lack of clear management systems for protected areas
- Low capacities
- Lack of alternative sources of protein and income for local people
- Absence of a wildlife management policy in Gabon's forestry law
- Lack of a legal structure for the management of national parks in Gabon
Priority interventions
- Baseline Studies for Zoning and Management Planning
- Threat Assessment
- Establish wildlife management policy
- Development of sustainable financing mechanisms
- Creation of tracking systems and georeferenced databases
- Planning for sustainable resource use at the community level
- Environmental education and capacity building of local NGOs
- Promotion of alternative income-generating activities
- Ecotourism planning
Area: 126,440 km
Partners: WCS, WWF, BCI, IRM, CREF
National Parks: 0; 1 Lac Télé Community Reserve (440,000 ha) in the Republic of Congo and the Mabali Scientific Reserve (1,900 ha) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Biodiversity (number of species)
Plants: > 1100
Mammals: > 60
Birds: > 300
Endangered species
Animals
- Western Gorilla
- Bonobo
- Forest elephant
- Hippopotamus
- Cercopithecus ascagne
- Red colobus
- False gharial crocodile
Plants: AD
Key Threats
Direct
- Hunting
- Over-fishing
Indirect
- Weak governance of natural resources
- Military complicity in illegal hunting and fishing
- Lack of alternative sources of protein and income for local people
- Lack of information
- Absence of a wildlife management policy in the forest law
- Unrest and civil war
Priority interventions
- Threat Assessment
- Biological and ecological studies
- Community-based wildlife management
- Working with the military to reduce illegal hunting and improve safety.
- Law enforcement
- Bonobo habituation
-Planning for sustainable community operations
- Development of alternative livelihoods
- Creation of effective monitoring
Area: 102,847 km
Partners: ICCN, WWF, WCS,
ZSM, MPI, LWRP, UMD
National Parks: 1 (2 sectors) covering about 36,560 km (36% of the Landscape)
Biodiversity (number of species)
Mammals: 53 (estimate)
Birds: > 101
Plants: AD
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant
- Bonobo
- Congolese Peacock
- Bongo
Plants: AD
Major Threats
Direct
- Commercial hunting
- Population settlement and resource use in the park
-Presence of heavily armed poachers and lack of law enforcement across the country
Indirect
- Lack of information
- Low capacity
- Exclusion of local communities in decision-making and management
-Lack of alternative sources of protein and income for local populations
- Civil unrest and war
Key interventions
- Initiate land use planning through socio-economic and resource use studies
-Strengthening of ICCN's capacities
- Inclusion of local communities in decision-making and management
-Creation of a local GIS system linked to the national database.
- Strengthening the management structures of the national park
-Lobbying provincial and national authorities to stop poaching by uniformed poachers
Area: 71,745 km
Partners: ICCN, UGADEC, DFGFI, CI, WCS, WWF, JGI, GTZ, UMD
National parks: Maiko National Park (1,000,000 ha), Kahuzi-Biega National Park (660,000 ha) and Tayna Nature Reserve (88,600 ha).
Biodiversity (Number of species)
Plants: AD
Mammals: AD
Birds: AD
Endangered species
Animals (17) included :
- Forest elephant
- Grauer's Gorilla
- Chimpanzee
- Okapi
Birds (16) included :
- Congolese Peacock
- Eurylaime de Grauer
- Grauer's jamming
- Chapin's phyllanthus
- Shelley is Senegalese
- Dwarf Indicator
- The Kivu Thrush
- Sassi Bulbul
- The Oberlaender Thrush
Key Threats
Direct
- Unsustainable hunting
- Immigration
- Land clearing for agriculture
- Artisanal mining
- Wood harvesting
Indirect
- Civil unrest
- Extreme poverty
- Weak institutional capacity
-Population growth
- Weak resource management capacity
Key interventions
- Capacity building of local organizations and park staff
- Biodiversity and needs assessment
- Development of management plans for protected and community areas
- Development of sustainable alternative sources of income
- Development of sustainable financing mechanisms
- Implementation of effective control
Area: 71,745 km
Partners: ICCN, UGADEC, DFGFI, CI, WCS, WWF, JGI, GTZ, UMD
National parks: Maiko National Park (1,000,000 ha), Kahuzi-Biega National Park (660,000 ha) and Tayna Nature Reserve (88,600 ha).
Biodiversity (Number of species)
Plants: AD
Mammals: AD
Birds: AD
Endangered species
Animals (17) included:
- Forest elephant
- Grauer's Gorilla
- Chimpanzee
- Okapi
Birds (16) included:
- Congolese Peacock
- Eurylaime de Grauer
- Grauer's scramble
- Chapin's Phyllanthus
- Shelley's Senegalese
- Dwarf Indicator
- Kivu Thrush
- Sassi Bulbul
- Oberlaender's Thrush
Major Threats
Direct
- Unsustainable hunting
- Immigration
- Land clearing for agriculture
- Artisanal mining
- Timber harvesting
Indirect
- Civil unrest
- Extreme poverty
- Weak institutional capacity
-Population growth
- Weak resource management capacity
Key interventions
- Capacity building for local organizations and park staff
- Biodiversity and needs assessment
- Development of management plans for protected areas and community zones
- Development of sustainable alternative sources of income
- Development of sustainable financing mechanisms
- Implementation of effective monitoring
Area: 33 188 km
Partners: ICCN, WCS, ICG, SI
National parks: 0; protected areas 1 (13,7000 km, 41% of the landscape)
Biodiversity
Plants: 121 families, 1192 species
Large mammals: 62 (in the forest)
Birds: 312 (in the forest)
Endangered species
Animals
- Forest elephant
- Okapi
- Cercopithecus of Hamlyn
- Aquatic Genet
- White-bellied Duiker
- Golden-naped weaver
Plants
- Encephalartos ituriensis
- Encephalartos septentrionalis
- Euphorbia bwambensis
- Euphorbia venenifica
- Euphorbia teke
Human occupation
- Hunter-gatherers
- Traditional Forest Farmers
- Recent Immigrants
Major Threats
Direct
- Immigration and settlement
- Unsustainable hunting
- Artisanal mining
Artisanal logging
Military Occupation
Indirect
- Lack of a legal zoning warrant
- Weak law enforcement capacity
- Weak land management
- Civil unrest and insecurity
Key interventions
- Development of a Landscape-scale map and database
- Post-conflict baseline inventory
- Land Use Zoning in the OFR
- Development of follow-up programs
- Construction of monitoring stations in the RFO
- Creation of a community information and education network in the RFO
Area: 15.155 km².
Partners: ICCN, ORTPN, UWA, local NGOs, Community Based Organisations, AWF, IGCP, WWF, WCS, DFGFI, DFGFE, FZS
Protected Areas: Virunga National Park 772,700 ha in DRC and Volcanoes National Park 16,000 ha in Rwanda.
Biodiversity (estimate)
Plants: at least 2077
Mammals: 196
Birds: 706
Reptiles: 134
Amphibians: 84
Endangered species
Animals
- Mountain Gorilla
- Chimpanzee
- Elephant
- Golden Monkey
- Ruwenzori Touraco
- Grauer's scramble
- Oricou Vulture
- Crowned Eagle
Plants
- Bamboo (Arundinaria alpina)
- Prunus africana
- Mahogany
- Low capacity
- Lack of jobs
- Low level of enforcement
- Civil unrest and war
Key interventions
- Institutional support
- Policy Support
- Cross-sectoral coordination
- Improved communication to decision-makers
- Data-based management
- Planning the use of natural resources