Nature in Central African Republic

The Central African Republic covers about 623,000 square kilometres. Its natural areas extend from Guinean forest in the south through Sudano-Ubangian, Sudano-Guinean and Sudano-Sahelian savanna to Sahelian steppe in the north. The Chari-Longue basin drains towards the north and the Congo basin towards the south. Habitats include dense tropical rainforest, open woodland, savanna, gallery forest, seasonal floodplains, wetlands, forest clearings, granite inselbergs and the sandstone massif of Bongo. Species recorded in these environments include forest and savanna elephants, western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, sitatunga, bongo, hippopotamus, buffalo, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs and many waterbirds. Regional populations and conservation statuses vary over time, and no current complete national inventory is established. Protected areas include national parks, wildlife reserves, integral nature reserves, special reserves, biosphere reserves and community hunting zones known as Zones Cynégétiques Villageoises, or ZCV. National data are not fully consistent: the 2019 National Report lists 18 protected areas covering about 18% of the country, while an older FAO overview lists 16 areas covering 67,615 square kilometres, or about 11%. These figures refer to different data sources and dates and should not be combined. Relevant areas include Dzanga-Ndoki, Dzanga-Sangha, Manovo-Gounda St Floris, Bamingui-Bangoran, André Félix, Zémongo, Ouandja-Vakaga, Aouk-Aoukalé, Nana-Barya, Mbaéré-Bodingué, Basse-Lobaye and Vassako-Bolo. Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park covers about 1,740,000 hectares, entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 and has been listed as World Heritage in Danger since 1997. The Sangha Trinational is a cross-border UNESCO World Heritage site of about 746,309 hectares comprising three national parks; the Central African part includes Dzanga-Ndoki, covering about 122,000 hectares. The Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve forms part of the wider buffer zone, which covers about 1,787,950 hectares. The country also has two Ramsar wetlands covering about 376,300 hectares: Les Rivières de Mbaéré-Bodingué with 101,300 hectares and Rivière Sangha située en République Centrafricaine with 275,000 hectares. These wetlands support forests, rivers, marshes, lakes, flood regulation, fish refuges and local incomes. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Water and Forests, Hunting and Fishing, the Directorate of Wildlife and Protected Areas, site managers and conservators share responsibilities according to the area and task. The Trinational Committee for Monitoring and Action coordinates work in the Sangha Trinational. Relevant laws include the 2020 Code for Wildlife and Protected Area Management, the 1984 wildlife and hunting ordinance, the 2008 Forest Code, the 2007 Environmental Code and the 1985 ordinance prohibiting the collection and trade of ivory. National parks generally protect wild species, habitats, ecosystems, landscapes, scientific values and public recreation. In integral reserves, human entry is limited to research approved by the responsible ministry. Rights to hunt, collect, fish, log or use other natural resources depend on the area's legal status and local rules. Hunting, collection and logging are generally prohibited in Central African national parks, and UNESCO reporting states that Indigenous hunting and gathering are not permitted in the country's protected areas. This creates a conflict between strict protection and the livelihoods and customary practices of BaAka and other local communities. ZCVs and buffer areas can provide spaces for regulated use and community participation, but they also require clear management, enforcement and conflict agreements. Nature is used for fishing, hunting, bushmeat, non-timber forest products, raffia and raffia wine, agriculture, logging, research, ecotourism, livestock keeping and seasonal livestock movement, known locally as transhumance. Gold and diamond mining can damage aquatic refuges through sedimentation. Other pressures include illegal wildlife trade, poaching, ivory trafficking, habitat fragmentation, unsustainable extraction, logging, fires, overgrazing, drought, rising temperatures, heavy rainfall, flooding and erosion. Manovo-Gounda St Floris also faces pressure from seasonal movement of about 30,000 to 40,000 cattle from Sudan and Chad, making corridor and ZCV planning necessary. Nature-related recreation is concentrated especially around Dzanga-Ndoki and Dzanga-Sangha, where forest-clearings known as bais, elephants and gorillas may be observed with guides and lodge services. The sites are remote, visitor numbers are low and transport and accommodation infrastructure is limited. No nationally standardized prices, opening hours, camping system or visitor procedure is established in the available research, so details must be checked with the relevant site management before travel. Protection work includes patrols, biodiversity monitoring, species and forest inventories, local awareness, school curriculum activities, eco-guard training, community management plans and coordination across the Sangha region. The 2019 National Report records 62 measures across 12 action areas, including protected-area governance, ecological connectivity, community participation and sustainable use of wild meat and non-timber forest products.