French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
: ''Forêts marécageuses de l'est du Congo'') are a fairly intact but underresearched
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
of the
tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Description
TSMF is generally found in la ...
biome
A biome () is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. In 1935, Tansley added the ...
. It is located within the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
. This is the eastern half of one of the largest areas of
swamps
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
in the world.
Setting
The swamp forest is flat, wet forest between in elevation on the left bank of the
Congo River
The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...
, and spreading across a swathe of the
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...
, including some of the Congo's largest tributaries and the Stanley Falls area near
Kisangani
Kisangani (), formerly Stanleyville (), is the capital of Tshopo, Tshopo Province, located on the Congo River in the eastern part of the central Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's fifth-most populous urban a ...
.
Climate
The climate is tropical and humid, with little seasonal variation. Average annual rainfall exceeds 2000 mm.
Flora
The forest is a mixture of
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s including
wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
s and
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s, with drier forest and
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
slightly higher and flooded seasonally by the Congo and its tributaries.
Fauna
The region has been insufficiently researched by zoologists but is known to be home to
forest elephants
The African forest elephant (''Loxodonta cyclotis'') is one of the two living species of African elephant, along with the African bush elephant. It is native to humid tropical forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It is the smallest of the ...
(''Loxodonta africana cyclotis'') (which may have been reduced by poaching, especially near the larger rivers), and several primates, including the rare
bonobo
The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee (less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee), is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus ''Pan (genus), Pan'' (the other bei ...
(''Pan paniscus'').
The Congo is a natural barrier to movement of wildlife and many species only occur on this eastern side of the river, including many primates: the bonobo and also
Angolan colobus
The Angola colobus (''Colobus angolensis''), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a primate species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus '' Colobus''.
Taxonomy
There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed ...
(''Colobus angolensis''),
Wolf's mona monkey
Wolf's mona monkey (''Cercopithecus wolfi''), also called Wolf's guenon, is a colourful Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in central Africa, primarily between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It lives in ...
(''Cercopithecus wolfi''),
golden-bellied mangabey
The golden-bellied mangabey (''Cercocebus chrysogaster'') is an Endangered Old World monkey found in swampy, humid forests south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was formerly considered a subspecies
In Taxon ...
(''Cercocebus galeritus chrysogaster''), black mangabey (''Lophocebus atterimus aterrimus''), southern talapoin (''Miopithecus talapoin'') and the
Dryas monkey
The Dryas monkey (''Chlorocebus dryas''), also known as Salonga monkey, ''ekele'', or ''inoko'', is a little-known species of Old World monkey found only in the Congo Basin, restricted to the left bank of the Congo River. It is now establishe ...
Allen's striped bat
Allen's striped bat (''Glauconycteris alboguttata'') is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae, the vesper bats. It is native to Africa, where it occurs in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This species can be found in ...
(''Chalinolobus alboguttatus''), and
Muton's soft-furred mouse
Muton's soft-furred mouse or riverine praomys (''Praomys mutoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swampland and river
...
(''Praomys mutoni'').
These rainforests are rich in birdlife including the Congo sunbird (''Cinnyris congensis''), African river martin (''Pseudochelidon eurystomina'') and
Congo martin
The Congo martin or Congo sand martin (''Riparia congica'') is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.
It occurs only along the Congo River and its tributary, the Ubangi. It is fairly abundant within its restricted range.
The habitat req ...
Gastropholis tropidopholis
''Gastropholis tropidopholis'' is a species of lizard endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also re ...
worm lizard
Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...
(''
Zygaspis dolichomenta
''Zygaspis'' is a genus of amphisbaenians in the family Amphisbaenidae. Species in the genus are commonly known as purple round-headed worm lizards, and are native to equatorial and southern Africa. The genus contains eight species.
Species
The ...
'').
Threats and conservation
The Congo River allows access to these forests with subsequent logging and poaching of wildlife, particularly of forest elephants.
Protected areas
25.65% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include the huge
Salonga National Park
Salonga National Park ( French: ''Parc National de la Salonga'') is a national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo located in the Congo River basin. It is Africa's largest tropical rainforest reserve covering about 36,000 km2 or . I ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
/ref>
See also
*
Congolian forests
The Congolian rainforests ( French: ''Forêts tropicales congolaises'') are a broad belt of lowland tropical moist broadleaf forests which extend across the basin of the Congo River and its tributaries in Central Africa.
Description
The Congol ...
*
Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Sometimes ...