Het DSPAC (bruin)
English: Title: The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa Identifier: conservationatla92saye (find matches) Year: 1992 (1990s) Authors: Sayer, J. A. , Harcourt, C. S. , Collins, N. M. Subjects: Publisher: IUCN Contributing Library: UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge Digitizing Sponsor: UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: Central African Republic Cercopithecus and the crested and grey-cheeked mangabey, Cercocebus galeritiis and C. albigena respectively. The striking black- and-white colobus monkey Colobiis guercza, and the red colobus Pwcolobus (badius) nifoDiiiratus are also found in the forests. Two subspecies of the African elephant occur in CAR, Loxodoiita africana africana in the northern savanna zone, and L. a. cydotis in the lowland forest. In some forests, the elephants make trails which crisscross the area and these open corridors through the dense undergrowth are the major thoroughfares of the Aka peo- ple. However, elephants remain in significant numbers only in the forests of south-western CAR m the newly created Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Faunal Reserve which incorporates Dzanga-Ndoki National Park. In most other areas of the forest elephants have been virtually eliminated by ivory poachers. Similarly, the black rhinoceros Diceros biconiis longipes, has been reduced almost to extinction. In 1970, it was estimated that there were 3000 rhinos in the country but, by 1984, only 170 remained (Western and Vigne, 1985) and now just a few scattered individuals persist. Forest antelopes found within CAR include bongo Tragelaphns ewyceros, sitatunga T. spekei, chevrotain Hye)nosclnis aquaticus and six species of duiker. A dwarf form of the African buffalo Syncents caffer nanus is found in the lowland forests. Two species of wild pigs are found in the dense forest, the giant forest hog Hylochoenis iiieincrtshageni and the bushpig Potamochoerus porciis. Approximately 700 species of birds have been recorded for the country (Carroll, 1988), over 400 in the forested regions. The first breeding record of the rare brown nightjar Capnnndgiis hinotatus was made in the Bayanga region (Carroll and Fry, 1987). Only one bird species is listed as threatened in CAR, the shoebill Balaeniceps rex, and this inhabits swamps, not forests (Collar and Stuart, 1985). Several spectacular reptiles are found in the dense forest zone. Most notable are the highly venomous gaboon and rhinoceros vipers (Buis gabonica and B. nasiconus respectively). The huge African python Python sebae is also found in the forest. Conservation Areas An autonomous organisation, the Centre National pour la Protection et I'Amenagement de la Faune (CENPAF) within the Department of Wildlife and National Parks is responsible for pro- tected area management. Reserves cover 10 percent (Table 14.3) of the country's land area but, in general, management and pro- tection of them is poor. The creation of Dzanga-Sangha Reserve and the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, December 1990 has added a considerable extent of forest to the protected areas system. The Biosphere reserve of the Basse-Lobaye, on the border with the Congo, is one of the few other protected areas of forest. It was established for ethnographic studies of the pygmies. Large mam- mals have been exterminated from it by heavy hunting and parts of this reserve are currently being logged. Initiatives for Conservation Following wildlife surveys in the Bayanga region of south-west CAR, conducted by teams supported by Wildlife Conservation International (WCI) and WWF, the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve and the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park were created (see case study). The management of this reser\-e and park system has been sup- ported by WWF-USAJSAID as a 'Wildlands and Human Needs' project, and has received additional support from the World Bank. As part of a regional conservation programme the EEC will be sup- porting a project in the Mbaere-Bodingue-Ngoto forest region. This Text Appearing After Image: ' Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.