Introduction
There are a multitude of environmental concerns throughout Central Africa, including invading rain forests in hopes of finding oil as well as the many plants and animals that are currently on the endangered species list. Central Africa is composed of eight total countries: Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Rwanda, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea.
The Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is a tropical forest that spans across six different countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Many of these countries are located within Central Africa. It is the world’s second-largest tropical forest and contains approximately 500 million acres ("Congo Rainforest and Basin"). In addition to spanning so much land, the Basin contains endangered species including: forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, and lowland and mountain gorillas. These endangered species, along with others that inhabit areas in Central Africa are important in maintaining the biodiversity of our planet. Endangered species are at an increased risk of extinction due to loss of habitat, lack of population to continue breeding, as well as an increase in the amount of predators which ultimately disrupts the ecological balance within the forest. Consequences of these species becoming extinct include and even further shift in the balance of the biodiversity of the Congo Basin.
Another environmental concern that is being dealt with in the Congo Basin is deforestation. Deforestation is the clearing of woodland area for timber or to be able to use the cleared area for other means. Thankfully, a 2013 BBC report revealed that since 2000, deforestation in the Congo Basin has decreased by a third (Morelle). Since there is a heavier focus on oil exportation and mining, central Africa has not been as focused on the agricultural side of their economy, which has greatly benefitted the rainforest. In 2010, less than 2,000 sq km (34 times the size of Manhattan!) of rainforest were lost per year, which is significantly less than at the turn of the century but still not ideal (Morelle). One of the reasons that deforestation is a large environmental issue is that studies have shown that the size of the trees are, on average, much larger that in the larger Amazon rainforest. This means that the larger the trees, the more carbon dioxide the trees store. This is beneficial because these trees also produce a great deal of oxygen, which living animals need to survive. Overall, losing areas of this rainforest would have major impacts on climate change, as well as biodiversity and the economies that need the resources from the forest to thrive.
Angola
One of the main environmental concerns that is facing Angola currently is the pollution of water. The pollution, caused by the rerouting of rivers in order to mine for diamonds, causes the country to have a lack of access to clean drinking water. While 65% of urban areas have access to clean water, only 15% of rural areas have access (Verano, 1999). In addition to lack of access to clean water, there is a lack of sanitary services as well. The access to sanitation services is much lower than the access to clean water. While 26% of the urban areas have access, only 9% of the rural areas go (Verano, 1999). While this serves to be an issue, diamonds are Angola’s main exports besides energy sources and the movement of the rivers are necessary to maintain the economy. Although their water pollution is an issue, Angola only has carbon emissions per capita of 0.3 metric tons, compared the the United States where the carbon emissions are a whopping 5.5 metric tons (Verano, 1999). The diamond mining activities cause the majority of the air pollution, but the effect that the mining has on the clean water supply is a much greater concern for the environment of Angola.
Democratic Republic of Congo (zaire)
There are multiple environmental concerns in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including water pollution, negative effects due to mineral mining, poaching leading to endangered species, as well as deforestation. While there are many issues, problems caused by refugees have had a very large impact on the environment throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some of these concerns include soil erosion, and being responsible for much of the poaching and deforestation. As of November 2011, there were approximately 1.4 million internally displaced persons living in the DRC, most displaced due to wartime or other conflicts in nearby regions. Including the internally displaced people, in 2011, the DRC was also home to around 153,000 refugees from nine different surrounding countries (Draulans and Krunkelsven, 2002).
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At times, if refugees were accompanied by armed men, the refugees would force villagers to feed them or they would raid local fields for food. This would impact local resources, as well as contribute to the destruction of farmland. Refugees have also had a large impact on deforestation in the DRC due to relocating numerous times. Forests would be cut down by refugees to make room for shelter. The amount of poaching also greatly increased once refugees entered the area as a means of survival. Using snares and machetes, many refugees hunted their surrounding areas. In the late 1900’s, park guards and gorillas were killed by refugees. This has a negative effect on the environment due to lack of protection over the parks, as well as causing animals to become endangered. Overall, refugees in the DRC have been displaced due to armed conflicts, but have ultimately had negative impacts on the environments that they enter.
Rwanda
One of the major environmental concerns within Rwanda is soil erosion. Caused by high population numbers and limited land resources, soil erosion depletes the ground of nutrients. This erosion causes further loss of biodiversity in the soil as well as decreased productivity of the land, causing cultivators to overuse the land even more. This cycle further increases poverty as well as damages the ecosystem, since in 1990 it was reported that approximately 92% of the Rwandan workforce were involved in agriculture ("Land and Resources, Environmental Issues", 2000). Large herd of cattle brought by returning refugees also cause overgrazing of land. The overgrazing as well as the soil erosion drain the nutrients from the soil as well as make the land unsuitable for growing agricultural products in the future. Other aspects the contribute to environmental concern include over poaching commonly tied to refugees, in addition to the uncontrollable deforestation for fuel.
Burundi
Habitat loss is a great concern to the environment of Burundi as well as to the species that live in this country. Due to the loss of the natural surroundings in Burundi, animals such as gorillas and elephants have become extinct and nearly all species are threatened. Approximately only 5.4% of the forests in Burundi are protected by any law, and biodiversity is continuing to decline (Butler, 2006). Since Burundi is a landlocked country and has very few natural resources, much of the country depends on agriculture for sustainability. Unfortunately, deforestation is occurring, as well as soil erosion and nutrient depletion across the country. While the need for agriculture is high, the priority to combat habitat loss is also important. Species such as chimpanzees are being threatened by habitat loss and poaching and resolutions need to be put in place. While these concerns are understood, the funding is the issue for the majority of the fight against habitat loss.
Central African Republic
Poaching is a growing concern in Central African Republic (CAR), causing damage to the country’s reputation of one of the world’s last great wildlife reserves. Research has shown that the population of forest elephants had declined approximately 62% over the last ten years. Elephant poaching has greatly increased due to the heightened demand for ivory, and elephant meat has been sold on the market as well. While there is a ban on ivory poaching in Africa that was instituted in 1989, an estimated 25,000 elephants are killed throughout Africa every year (Chow, "At Least 26 Elephants Killed by Poachers in Central Africa"). In recent years, war has allowed poachers to bypass certain laws and harvest ivory, killing many elephants. The poaching of elephants and other animals throughout CAR endangers the biodiversity within the region, leading to depleted natural resources and an upset within the ecosystem.
Congo
Congo, known as the Republic of Congo or Brazzaville, has environmental issues including excessive logging and colonization of forest regions. Deforestation is a large concern for both the environment as a whole as well as the species that live in Congo. Loggers have continuously ignored policies that the government has put in place, further damaging the forests. Since the government privatized the logging industry, deforestation has only increased. In the past, Congo was known for their petroleum production, but with decreasing productivity, Congo has leaned on timber for a source of revenue. While there have been some prevention efforts to cut back on logging, corruption within the government has gotten in the way with many efforts. Another effect of excessive logging is the utilization of the logging roads but poachers, which allow them to have better access to animals such as elephants. In Congo, elephants are also often sought after for their ivory tusks. Approximately 16% of the forests in Congo are protected by some form of law, but unfortunately poaching and deforestation continues to modern times ("Congo: Environmental Profile", 2006).
Gabon
A main concern in Gabon is logging and logging roads opening up pathways for poachers, miners, and oil companies to exploit the land. In 1997, approximately 100 logging companies were working to export raw wood (Butler, "Gabon: Environmental Profile"). While Gabon is heavily dependent on oil, when prices steeply drop their need to export other natural resources increases greatly. Their abundance of oil and their small total population has lead Gabon to be the third richest country in the world (in income per person). Gabon’s government also sees a future in eco-tourism due to their biodiversity in the forests and off the coast. Gabon is home to gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, hippos, and is also known for a large population of humpback whales that live off the coast. Although Gabon has some environmental concerns, they are better off than many of the other central african countries in terms of deforestation and biodiversity due to governmental agencies enforcing laws.
Equatorial Guinea
One of the major environmental issues in Equatorial Guinea is the lack of safe drinking water. While Equatorial Guinea is the most wealthy African nation, less than half of the total population has access to clean water. According to the United Nations, approximately 10% of children die before the age of five due to unsanitary water ("Equatorial Guinea country profile - Overview", 2015). The tap water is not portable, and flash floods are common in Equatorial Guinea. In addition to limited access to safe water, deforestation is also an issue. This is not as large of a concern since the majority of farming in Equatorial Guinea is sustenance farming and forestry is only a small component of their economy. The major section of Equatorial Guinea's economy is it's oil exportation, which has increased the expansion of the economy greatly but has not had much of an effect on the access to clean drinking water.
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Chow, D. (2013, May 10). At Least 26 Elephants Killed by Poachers in Central Africa. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/29506-elephant-massacre-central-africa.html
Congo Rainforest and Basin. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/congo-basin
Draulans, D., & Van Krunkelsven, E. (2002). The impact of war on forest areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oryx, 35-40.
Elephant poaching 'rising' in Central African Republic. (2013, April 26). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-22308960
Equatorial Guinea. (2012, February 12). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152651/
Equatorial Guinea country profile - Overview. (2015, January 23). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13317174
Evans, M. (2011, May 29). Endangered Species. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.earthtimes.org/encyclopaedia/environmental-issues/endangered-species/
Gurung, T. (2014, June 11). A Win for Virunga. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/a-win-for-virunga
Impact of habitat loss on species. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/problems/habitat_loss_degradation/
Land Use and Agriculture. (2009). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.rema.gov.rw/soe/chap3.php
Land and Resources, Environmental Issues. (2000). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.countriesquest.com/africa/rwanda/land_and_resources/environmental_issues.htm
Morelle, R. (2013, July 22). Deforestation in Africa's Congo Basin rainforest slows. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23382526
Neme, L. (2013, May 13). Chaos and Confusion Following Elephant Poaching in a Central African World Heritage Site. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
Plumptre, A. (2010). Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): Status survey and conservation action plan, 2010-2020. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Verano, K. (n.d.). Angola. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/sustain/h90/Angola.htm