Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve (also known as Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve, or Dzanga-Sangha Forest Special Reserve, or Dzanga-Sangha Special Forest Reserve) is a protected reserve of southwestern Central African Republic
. It was established in 1990 and covers 6865.54 km². It is one of several areas within the Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas
(DSCPA), each within its own protective status and along with Lobéké National Park
in Cameroon
and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
in Republic of Congo, it is part of the Sangha Tri National Landscape. Other areas within the DSCPA include the Dzanga Ndoki National Park which has two sectors, the 495 km (307.6 mi) Dzanga park and the 725 km (450.5 mi) Ndoki park. A conference of the Ministers of Forests of Central African Forest Commission
(COMIFAC) had resolved to establish within the Congo basin
, the Sangha River Tri-national Protected area (STN) encompassing these three parks. The forest special reserve is operated by the Central African Forest Commission
(COMIFAC).
In 1999, the forest special reserve was administered collaboratively by the Central African ministry of Environment, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, and the World Wildlife Fund. In the same year, the so-called Yaoundé Declaration was signed, forming a tri-national park agreement of cooperation with the Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve, Lobéké National Park
in Cameroon, and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
in the Republic of Congo. This tri-park area is operated by the Central African Forest Comission (COMIFAC), and is overlooked and funded by international wildlife groups such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the German Cooperation of Technical Collaboration (GTZ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS). Along with these other protected areas, it is currently a candidate for a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
, and the tri-park basin area is often referred to as the Sangha River Tri-national Protected Area (STN).
The average annual rainfall is about 1500 mm and the average temperature is between 24 and 29 °C. The most precipitation in the reserve area falls in the long rainy season from October to November and in the short rainy season between May and June.
such as Western Lowland Gorilla
s, African Forest Elephant
s, Bongo antelopes
, African Forest Buffalo
s, white-nosed and moustache monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, bushpig
s, duiker
s, and many different bird species. Of particular note, though, are the Western Lowland Gorillas and Forest Elephants. Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve has one of the highest population densities of gorillas in the world with an estimated 2000 of them living within the reserve's precincts. Since the establishment of the reserve it has been an important location for research into the West Lowland Gorillas and Forest Elephants in particular. A number of papers have been published by naturalists working with the park, including the leading expert in the world on forest elephants Andrea Turkalo, and Mike Fay (J. M. Fay) and Marcellin Agnagna. There are thousands of insect species. Rodent species include cane rat, giant rat, and porcupine. The reserve is also noted for its dark-crowned forest eagles which have an average wingspan of 1.55 metres and the blue-breasted Kingfisher
.
The tropical forests contain hundreds of plant species including Entradrolphragus angolensis
, Lophira alata
, Manilkara mabokeensis
, Monodora myristica, Ricinodendron heudlotii
, along with the African tulip tree
, rubber tree, strangler fig
, and cecropia
.
Morrissey noted in 1998 that the unemployment rate was in excess of 90% in this region of the Central African Republic. In November 1996, 20 scholars from the American Museum of Natural History
spent time in the village of Bayanga, collecting data on the reserve's eco system and traditional ways of life.
In 2001, a book was published entitled Inside the Dzanga Sangha Rain Forest: Exploring the Heart of Central Africa, which follows a team of scientists, artists, and filmmakers searching for the lowland gorilla, leopards, and rare birds and insects.
Cornell University researcher Katy Payne began the Elephant Listening Project in a clearing within the dense forest special reserve. A series of digital recorders that are powered by car batteries are picking up very low frequency sounds of elephants, wind and thunder, thus building an "elephant dictionary" to assist elephant researchers.
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
. It was established in 1990 and covers 6865.54 km². It is one of several areas within the Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas
Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas
The Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas is a protected area in the extreme southwestern Central African Republic. The dense forest block, created in 1990, measures . It consists of the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve and the Dzanga Ndoki National Park which has two sectors, the Dzanga Park...
(DSCPA), each within its own protective status and along with Lobéké National Park
Lobéké National Park
Lobéké National Park is a national park of southeastern Cameroon within the Moloundou Arrondisement of East Province. Located in the Congo Basin, it is bounded on the east by the Sangha River which serves as Cameroon's international border with Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo...
in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
Nouabal-Ndoki National Park is a national park in the Republic of the Congo. Established in 1993, north of Congo, it is mostly populated with elephants, apes, ranging from Western Lowland Gorillas to chimpanzees and bongo. It is of pristine tropical rainforest with no human habitation within it...
in Republic of Congo, it is part of the Sangha Tri National Landscape. Other areas within the DSCPA include the Dzanga Ndoki National Park which has two sectors, the 495 km (307.6 mi) Dzanga park and the 725 km (450.5 mi) Ndoki park. A conference of the Ministers of Forests of Central African Forest Commission
Central African Forest Commission
The Central African Forest Commission is an intergovernmental organisation in Central Africa. It's goal is to manage the forests of Central Africa in a sustainable manner.The four official languages are French, English, Spanish and Portuguese....
(COMIFAC) had resolved to establish within the Congo basin
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
, the Sangha River Tri-national Protected area (STN) encompassing these three parks. The forest special reserve is operated by the Central African Forest Commission
Central African Forest Commission
The Central African Forest Commission is an intergovernmental organisation in Central Africa. It's goal is to manage the forests of Central Africa in a sustainable manner.The four official languages are French, English, Spanish and Portuguese....
(COMIFAC).
History
The forest special reserve was established in 1990 along with its neighbouring Dzanga Ndoki National Park. Until 1986, anybody was free to shoot game in the forest. Thus, the tropical forests of the region have long been threatened by human activities, with international companies and illegal local loggers cutting down trees and mining natural resources. Also, local peoples are dependent on the forest, clearing land for agriculture and for basic necessities.In 1999, the forest special reserve was administered collaboratively by the Central African ministry of Environment, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, and the World Wildlife Fund. In the same year, the so-called Yaoundé Declaration was signed, forming a tri-national park agreement of cooperation with the Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve, Lobéké National Park
Lobéké National Park
Lobéké National Park is a national park of southeastern Cameroon within the Moloundou Arrondisement of East Province. Located in the Congo Basin, it is bounded on the east by the Sangha River which serves as Cameroon's international border with Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo...
in Cameroon, and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
Nouabal-Ndoki National Park is a national park in the Republic of the Congo. Established in 1993, north of Congo, it is mostly populated with elephants, apes, ranging from Western Lowland Gorillas to chimpanzees and bongo. It is of pristine tropical rainforest with no human habitation within it...
in the Republic of Congo. This tri-park area is operated by the Central African Forest Comission (COMIFAC), and is overlooked and funded by international wildlife groups such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the German Cooperation of Technical Collaboration (GTZ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...
(WCS). Along with these other protected areas, it is currently a candidate for a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Geography and climate
Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve lies in the extreme southwest of the Central African Republic, bordering Cameroon to the southwest and Republic of Congo to the southeast. The park consists of nearly 500 million acres (2,023,430 km²) of tropical moist forest, much of which is relatively intact. Combined with its sister reserves, Lobéké National Park in Cameroon and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo, this rainforest is the second largest on earth. The main river running through the reserve is the Sangha RiverSangha River
The Sangha River, a river in central Africa, is a tributary of the Congo River, which it joins at . Formed by the merging of the Mambéré River into the Kadéï River at Nola , the Sangha flows through the Central African Republic, along the border of Cameroon, and through the Republic of Congo.Its...
, and the tri-park basin area is often referred to as the Sangha River Tri-national Protected Area (STN).
The average annual rainfall is about 1500 mm and the average temperature is between 24 and 29 °C. The most precipitation in the reserve area falls in the long rainy season from October to November and in the short rainy season between May and June.
Flora and fauna
Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve is ecologically rich and contains a variety of megafaunaMegafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
such as Western Lowland Gorilla
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
s, African Forest Elephant
African Forest Elephant
The African Forest Elephant is a forest dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Formerly considered either a synonym or a subspecies of the African Savanna Elephant , a 2010 study established that the two are distinct species...
s, Bongo antelopes
Bongo (antelope)
The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
, African Forest Buffalo
African Forest Buffalo
The African Forest Buffalo is smaller than the Cape Buffalo, with horns that curves out backwards and upwards. Usually weighing , they are reddish brown in color. Its native habitat is the equatorial forest found in central and western Africa, and its diet consists primarily of grasses, twigs, and...
s, white-nosed and moustache monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, bushpig
Bushpig
The bushpig, Potamochoerus larvatus, is a member of the pig family and lives in forests, woodland, riverine vegetation and reedbeds in East and Southern Africa. Probably introduced populations are also present in Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago. Bushpigs are mainly nocturnal. There are...
s, duiker
Duiker
A duiker is any of about 21 small to medium-sized antelope species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa.Duikers are shy and elusive creatures with a fondness for dense cover; most are forest dwellers and even the species living in more open areas are quick to disappear...
s, and many different bird species. Of particular note, though, are the Western Lowland Gorillas and Forest Elephants. Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve has one of the highest population densities of gorillas in the world with an estimated 2000 of them living within the reserve's precincts. Since the establishment of the reserve it has been an important location for research into the West Lowland Gorillas and Forest Elephants in particular. A number of papers have been published by naturalists working with the park, including the leading expert in the world on forest elephants Andrea Turkalo, and Mike Fay (J. M. Fay) and Marcellin Agnagna. There are thousands of insect species. Rodent species include cane rat, giant rat, and porcupine. The reserve is also noted for its dark-crowned forest eagles which have an average wingspan of 1.55 metres and the blue-breasted Kingfisher
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
The Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Halcyon malimbica, is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in tropical west Africa. This kingfisher is essentially resident, but retreats from drier savanna areas to wetter habitats in the dry season....
.
The tropical forests contain hundreds of plant species including Entradrolphragus angolensis
Entandrophragma
Entandrophragma is a genus of eleven species of deciduous trees in the mahogany family Meliaceae, restricted to tropical Africa. At least some of the species attain large sizes, reaching 40-50 m tall, exceptionally 60 m, and 2 m in trunk diameter. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-9 pairs of leaflets,...
, Lophira alata
Lophira alata
Lophira alata is a species of plant in the Ochnaceae family. It is found in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical...
, Manilkara mabokeensis
Manilkara
Manilkara is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. Collectively known as manilkara trees, they occur throughout the tropics. A close relative is the genus Pouteria....
, Monodora myristica, Ricinodendron heudlotii
Ricinodendron
Ricinodendron is a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae. It includes Njangsa .The mongongo fruit was previously considered a member of this genus but has since been placed into a genus of its own.-External links:*...
, along with the African tulip tree
Spathodea
Spathodea is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the Fountain Tree, African Tulip Tree, Flame-of-the-forest, Rudra Palash, Pichkari or Nandi Flame. It is a tree that grows between tall and is...
, rubber tree, strangler fig
Strangler Fig
Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species, including some banyans and unrelated vines, including among many other species:* Ficus aurea, also known as the Florida Strangler Fig...
, and cecropia
Cecropia
Cecropia is a Neotropical genus presently consisting of sixty-one recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees....
.
Human population
In 1999, Kamiss estimated the human population of the special forest reserve to be 4500, Within the general population, 2000-3000 Baka people live in mud huts or wooden shacks in villages across the reserve. The largest of the villages is Bayanga, while Moussapoula, Kunda Papaye, and Yobe comprise the smaller ones. Babongo and Lindjombo are difficult to reach. Yandombe, just south of Bayanga, is a fairly new settlement established in 1990. Most agricultural activity, such as subsistence farming, occurs along the main north-south axis road that connects the villages north of Bayanga with Lindjombo to the far south. The main diet of the indigenous people includes cassava, corn, peanuts, robusta coffee, cocoyams, bananas, papayas, wild berries and koko leaf. Fences erected around fields are made of string with various suspended objects such as cans, plastic bags, and milk tin lids.Morrissey noted in 1998 that the unemployment rate was in excess of 90% in this region of the Central African Republic. In November 1996, 20 scholars from the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
spent time in the village of Bayanga, collecting data on the reserve's eco system and traditional ways of life.
Research and tourism
In 1997, the WWF has been involved with the Dzanga-Sangha Primate Habituation Program in the park. Since 2001, working with local Baka people and other interests it has facilitated "gorilla tourism" in the park, permitting tourists to approach and spend time with a family of gorillas. Between late 2001 and 2006, over 700 visitors observed the habituated gorilla groups at Bai Hokou.In 2001, a book was published entitled Inside the Dzanga Sangha Rain Forest: Exploring the Heart of Central Africa, which follows a team of scientists, artists, and filmmakers searching for the lowland gorilla, leopards, and rare birds and insects.
Cornell University researcher Katy Payne began the Elephant Listening Project in a clearing within the dense forest special reserve. A series of digital recorders that are powered by car batteries are picking up very low frequency sounds of elephants, wind and thunder, thus building an "elephant dictionary" to assist elephant researchers.
