The
protected areas in 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 ...
include national parks, biosphere reserves, wildlife reserves, nature reserves, scientific reserves, community reserves, and hunting reserves. These areas total 324,290 km
2, or 13.83% of the country's land area.
[UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for Democratic Republic of Congo from the World Database of Protected Areas, June 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net] Several of the country's protected areas have been internationally designated as
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s or
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 ...
s by
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 ...
, or as wetlands of international importance under the
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on W ...
.
National parks
(IUCN protected area category II)
*
Garamba National Park
Garamba National Park is a nearly national park in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is among Africa's oldest parks, and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980 for its protection of critical habitat for norther ...
(5000 km
2)
*
Kahuzi-Biega National Park (6689 km
2)
*
Kundelungu National Park
Kundelungu National Park is a national park of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in Haut-Katanga Province. The park was first established in 1970. It is approximately . The park is the site of Lofoi Falls, a high waterfall (one of th ...
(8236 km
2)
*
Lomami National Park
*
Maiko National Park
Maiko National Park is a national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies in one of the most remote forest areas of the country and covers . The park is divided into three sectors, straddling the states of Nord Kivu, Province Orien ...
(10886 km
2)
*
Mangroves Marine National Park (216 km
2)
*
Salonga National Park
Salonga National Park 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 . It extends into the provinces of Mai Ndombe, ...
(17,140 km
2)
*
Upemba National Park
Upemba National Park is a large national park in Haut-Lomami, Lualaba Province & Haut-Katanga Province (formerly in Katanga Province) of the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire.
Geography
At the time of the creation of Upem ...
(13674 km
2)
*
Virunga National Park
, iucn_category = II
, iucn_ref =
, location = Democratic Republic of the Congo
, map = Democratic Republic of the Congo
, relief = 1
, coordinates =
, area =
, established =
, nearest_city = Goma
, photo =Virunga National Park-107997 ...
(7769 km
2)
Biosphere reserves
*
Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (2215 km
2)
*
Lufira Biosphere Reserve (687 km
2)
*
Luki Biosphere Reserve (311 km
2)
Wildlife reserves
*
Bomu Wildlife Reserve (6542 km
2)
*
Okapi Wildlife Reserve (13,847 km
2)
Nature reserves
*
Abumonbazi Nature Reserve (5726 km
2)
*
Itombwe Nature Reserve (6009 km
2)
*
Kisimba Ikobo Primate Nature Reserve (963 km
2)
*
Lake Tshangalele Nature Reserve (447 km
2)
*
Lomako-Yokokala Nature Reserve (3602 km
2)
*
Mangai Nature Reserve (1903 km
2)
*
Mangrove Nature Reserve (1000 km
2)
*
Ngiri Triangle Nature Reserve (5500 km
2)
*
N'Sele Nature Reserve (34 km
2)
*
Sankuru Nature Reserve
*
Tayna Nature Reserve (893 km
2)
*
Tumba-Lediima Nature Reserve (7412 km
2)
Scientific reserves
*
Luo Scientific Reserve
The Luo Scientific Reserve (french: Réserve Scientifique de Luo) is a protected area situated in the Ikela territory of Tshuapa province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve covers .
The reserve is in the territory of the Bongando p ...
(480 km
2)
Community reserves
*
Lyondji Bonobo Community Reserve (1030 km
2)
Hunting reserves
*
Bili-Uere Hunting Reserve (32,748 km
2)
*
Bombo Lumene Hunting Reserve (2168 km
2)
*
Bomu Hunting Reserve (4126 km
2)
*
Bushimaie Hunting Reserve (4369 km
2)
*
Gangala-na-Bodio Hunting Reserve
The Gangala-na-Bodio Hunting Reserve is a hunting reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve was established in 1974, and covers an area of . The reserve adjoins Garamba National Park
Garamba National Park is a nearly nati ...
(9829 km
2)
*
Luama-Katanga Hunting Reserve (2308 km
2)
*
Luama-Kivu Hunting Reserve (3900 km
2)
*
Lubudi-Sampwe Hunting Reserve (3489 km
2)
*
Maika-Penge Hunting Reserve (1499 km
2)
*
Rubi-Tele Hunting Reserve (6191 km
2)
*
Rutshuru Hunting Reserve (661 km
2)
*
Swa-Kibula Hunting Reserve (1004 km
2)
International designations
UNESCO biosphere reserve
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments.
MAB's work enga ...
s
*
Lufira Valley Biosphere Reserve (147 km
2)
*
Luki Forest Reserve (330 km
2)
*
Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (2350 km
2)
Ramsar sites, wetlands of international importance
*
Lufira Basin (44,710 km
2)
*
Mangroves National Park (660 km
2)
*
Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe (65,696 km
2)
*
Virunga National Park
, iucn_category = II
, iucn_ref =
, location = Democratic Republic of the Congo
, map = Democratic Republic of the Congo
, relief = 1
, coordinates =
, area =
, established =
, nearest_city = Goma
, photo =Virunga National Park-107997 ...
(8000 km
2)
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s
* Okapi Wildlife Reserve (13726 km
2)
* Salonga National Park (36,000 km
2)
* Virunga National Park (7900 km
2)
* Garamba National Park (4920 km
2)
* Kahuzi-Biega National Park (6000 km
2)
References
{{reflist
Congo, Democratic Republic of
protected areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
Nature conservation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Protected areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...