Since 1990 till 2015, the rate of deforestation in the DRC has remained constant at
0.20%
, which equates to the loss of 311,000 hectares, or roughly 1,200 square miles, annually. This amounts to destroying forests the size of Delaware every two years.
Is there deforestation in the Congo rainforest?
Deforestation in the Congo Rainforest. … The biggest drivers of deforestation in the Congo rainforest over the past 20 years have been small-scale subsistence agriculture, clearing for charcoal and fuelwood, urban expansion, and mining. Industrial logging has been the biggest driver of forest degradation.
What is destroying the Congo rainforest?
Unsustainable and illegal logging in the Congo Basin forest — by both big and small companies — is leading to
deforestation
, destruction of wildlife habitat, diminished resilience to climate change, and damaging local communities.
How much land does the Congo rainforest cover?
At
500 million acres
, it is larger than the state of Alaska and stands as the world's second-largest tropical forest. A mosaic of rivers, forests, savannas, swamps and flooded forests, the Congo Basin is teeming with life.
What percentage of the rainforest has been cut down?
Since humans started cutting down forests, 46 percent of trees have been felled, according to a 2015 study in the journal Nature. About
17 percent
of the Amazonian rainforest
How much of the Congo has been destroyed?
Since 1990 till 2015, the rate of deforestation in the DRC has remained constant at
0.20%
, which equates to the loss of 311,000 hectares, or roughly 1,200 square miles, annually. This amounts to destroying forests the size of Delaware every two years.
What is the future of the Congo rainforest?
According to the experts' calculations, deforestation will rise by at least 55 and
possibly by up to 140 percent in the decade between 2020 and 2030
, compared to the period from 2000 to 2010. The areas most affected are the centre of Cameroon and the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What African country is losing its rainforest the fastest?
Ghana
is losing its rainforest faster than any other country in the world. Published May 1, 2019 This article is more than 2 years old. Ghana's rainforest is being lost at an alarming rate, according to a new report about the state of forests worldwide.
Is the Congo bigger than the Amazon?
The Congo Basin has less than half as much dense forest—1.6 million square kilometers, compared to 3.9 million square kilometers in the Amazon—and
more than twice as many inhabitants as the Amazon
.
Which is the largest forest in the world?
The Amazon
is the world's largest rainforest. It's home to more than 30 million people and one in ten known species on Earth.
Is the Amazon still unexplored?
Today the potentialities of the Amazon River and its incomparable basin of some 2,722,000 square miles – over twice the estimated drainage area of the Mississippi and its combined tributaries – is still
a vast region of undiscovered treasure
.
How much rainforest is lost every minute?
Unbelievably, over 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned every day. That is
over 150 acres
lost every minute of every day, and 78 million acres are lost every year!
Are we going to lose the rainforest?
Rain forests that once grew over 14 percent of the land on Earth now cover only about 6 percent. And if current deforestation rates continue, these critical habitats could disappear from the planet completely within the next hundred years.
What is the Congo rainforest famous for?
The Congo rainforest is known for
its high levels of biodiversity
, including more than 600 tree species and 10,000 animal species. Some of its most famous residents include forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, okapi, leopards, hippos, and lions.
What is the third largest rainforest?
After the Amazon and Congo,
New Guinea
is home to the 3rd largest rainforest in the world.
Does Africa have rainforests?
Around 2 million km2 of Africa is covered by
tropical rainforests
. They are second only in extent to those in Amazonia, which cover around 6 million km2. Rainforests are home to vast numbers of species. … And the continent's rainforests are being lost to deforestation at a rate of 0.3% every year.
