Real Africa: The Sanga Conservation World

For most of us, the animal kingdom of Africa is primarily associated with countless herds of ungulates, cheetahs, lions, elephants and crocodiles. Many documentaries were shot about these inhabitants of the savannah and their neighbors, and the name of the Serengeti park or Masai Mara reserve is familiar to many, even very distant from Africa people. But this is not the whole of Africa, but only its part, the most accessible for study and more attractive for tourists in terms of comfort and accessibility. But there is another, no less interesting and little-known Africa. Today we will talk about a unique protected corner of the jungle - the forest world of Sanga.

This vast tropical forest is located on the territory of three African countries at once: Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Due to its different nationality, it consists of three nature protection territories, one in each country, which nonetheless form a unique single space. The flora and fauna of this rainforest is so unique that Sanga was classified as a UNESCO site under the name "Sanga - Forest of Three Nations".

The forest is located in the Congo Basin, and most of it is confined to the Sanga River Valley, which gave the name to the forest. The rare preservation of forest ecosystems is due to the minimal human presence in this region. There have never been large settlements, large-scale logging or plowing of land has not been carried out. The maximum that locals do here is gathering wild plants and hunting animals with the help of primitive weapons. Recently, ecotourism has been added to this form of human presence: the world is gradually beginning to show interest in this pristine African forest.

The rainforest flora contains a wide variety of woody and herbaceous plant species. Impassable forests consist of eucalyptus trees, hevea, oaks, and valuable species such as red and ebony grow here. In addition to forests, in the Sanga protected area there are small areas of savannahs and wetlands. But the main thing that attracts tourists here who have already visited Kenyan parks more than once and who want to see something new is unusual animals.

Do you know that in the world, in addition to African and Indian, there is a third species of elephants? It is in the jungle of Sang that the forest elephant lives, which not so long ago was isolated and recognized as distinct from its relative - the African savannah elephant. The forest elephant is much smaller than the savannah and has a growth of only 2-2.4 meters. Its population is not so numerous, and it is much less known about it, in view of the secretive lifestyle and inaccessibility of its habitats.

In addition to the forest elephant, Sanga is home to western gorillas, chimpanzees, wild boars and very unusual forest antelopes. They are not so well known to the general public, and therefore tourists willingly come to see them. Incredible beauty, striped bongo antelopes and cute long-haired sitatungs make up the pride of the Sanga forest. Here you can also find buffalo and more than 100 species of birds.

The water fauna of this forest is very diverse. Among the inhabitants of the Sanga River, Nile crocodiles and a large tiger fish are seen - a very colorful river predator with incredible teeth.

The creation of a conservation zone in the Sanga forests has had a beneficial effect on the indigenous inhabitants of this forest - the pygmies of the bak (mbaak). This tribe of hunters and gatherers has been living here since time immemorial and, despite the onset of civilization, is in no hurry to leave its native forest. Baka lead a traditional lifestyle, roaming to a new place as forest resources are depleted. Sanga is their home, which provides them with shelter and food, without which they simply will not survive. Representatives of the tank willingly work as guides, showing tourists the real equatorial Africa - the world of the Sanga forest.

Watch the video: Fighting for Biodiversity in the Central African Republic. Global Ideas (May 2024).