The country’s largest park has been removed from the endangered World Heritage List

Salonga National Park, the largest of which Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), removed from the list on Monday
World Heritage In danger, we learned, in recognition of the efforts made to protect it
UNESCO.

The group “decided today to remove Salonga National Park from the list of endangered World Heritage Sites as it has been upgraded to its protected status,” the organization said in a statement.

The stability of the Bonobo people

“Regular monitoring Wildlife Demographics shows
Bonobos Stay tuned for past tensions and wild elephant numbers as they slowly begin to recover ()

The committee welcomed the clarification (…) that the oil concessions to (the park) were “null and void” and that the oil blocks within the park would be “excluded from future auctions”.

Africa’s largest tropical rainforest reserve

The DRC formalized a plan to exploit oil in Virunga (northeast) and Salonga (center) parks in 2018, but the government has not officially abandoned it. Contacting AFP, the Congolese Ministry of Environment did not act immediately.

Created in 1970 by former dictator Mobutu Cesc Seco, Salonga Park, with an area of ​​36,000 km2, is considered to be the largest reserve of tropical rainforests in Africa. It was listed as an endangered World Heritage Site in 1984.

The 145,000 km2 of the Congo Basin and especially Salonga, slightly larger than the UK, and the Beatlands, which store thirty billion tons of carbon – are wetlands that provide a great deal of biodiversity. Greenpeace.

Habitat for endangered species

According to the Congolese Ministry of Environment, which “welcomes” the move, it is an opportunity to think better about the management of the Beatland with the aim of measuring “absorption capacity.” Carbon “, A press release said.

Surrounded by water bodies that ensure its isolation, Salonga Park is home to many endangered endemic species: according to UNESCO, the bonobo, the Congo peacock, the wild elephant and the African short-nosed crocodile.