The Dimonika Biosphere Reserve (french: Réserve de la biosphère de Dimonika) (established 1988) is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

in the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

. The reserve is located in the central

Mayombe Mayombe (or Mayumbe) is a geographic area on the western coast of Africa occupied by low mountains extending from the mouth of the Congo River in the south to the Kouilou-Niari River to the north. The area includes parts of the Democratic Republi ...

mountain chain about from the Atlantic coast. The Mayombe has a hot, humid climate, combining tropical and oceanic traits. A lowland Guineo- Congolese rainforest dominates the biosphere reserve together with

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

vegetation. The area is in the transition zone between semi-deciduous and evergreen forest. Of special scientific interest are various types of forest communities recolonising old areas of forest exploitation. The fauna within the biosphere reserve is diverse and varied.

Human activities

Compared to other rural areas of Congo, the Mayombe Mountains are densely populated. Many migrants from neighboring regions,

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

have settled within the biosphere reserve. , there were 19,000 inhabitants in the Sous-prefécture de M’Vouti. Their main activities are

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

, hunting, fishing and

gold extraction Gold extraction refers to the processes required to extract gold from its ores. The great majority of gold is extracted from dilute ores using a combination of chemical processes. About 2000 tons are obtained from the earth annually, plus anothe ...

. The "Mayombe Project" aimed at improving the communication between local stakeholders, managers and scientists. In 1991, a survey was issued to determine perceptions and expectations of the biosphere reserve inhabitants. Research has been carried out on the impact of gold extraction on the biosphere reserve.

Sources

References

{{Authority control Biosphere reserves of the Republic of the Congo