DEFORESTAT ION IN THE CONGO

RAINFOREST

AFRICA'S RAINFORESTS• Most Rainforests in Africa are found in the Congo Basin. • Deforestation began in 1990 and it is still a problem today.• Many include Gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants.• Native population known as pygmies live there.

Congo rainforest- biggest

Guinea- west coast

Nigerian Gabon

DIFFERENT CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION• To make more land for housing and urbanization.• Make more homes.• Logging. • Subsistence agriculture. • Mining.• Bush meat trade.• Industrial logging is the most extensive form of land use in Central Africa.

LOGGING

• Used for basic health care. • Very important. • Illegal logging is very common.• Big cause of deforestation.

SUBSISTENCE FARMING

• Main cause of deforestation. • Many poor families use this.• Use trees and burn them.

MINING

• Most dangerous activity • Africa has many rich minerals • Many short term health issues• Very little saftey

EFFECTS ON THE REGION/ENVIRONMENTALLY • Constant Climate changes like Greenhouse emissions • The bush meat industry has decreased because of the lack rainforest

habitat• Extinction of many animals • Destroying homes for a lot of wildlife

Cut down trees everywhere

2000 sq miles are lost every year.

27 billion tones of carbon stocks a year

EFFECTS… ECONOMICALLY

• Increase in supply and demand • Plants are dying • New roads are being set up• As population increases, resources decrease

1000

EFFECTS… POLITCALLY

• The government isn’t doing much to help stop deforestation • They're many rules about the rainforest and the trees inside of it• But because the government dose not care many people do illegal activites• Can result in being imprisoned or fined

STEPS TO STOP DEFORESTATION (REDD)• REDD is a group that performs activites to try and stop deforestation• Projects include…• Quantfiy greenhouse emmions in the forests• New methods to measure forest degradtion • Small groups to help stop others from cutting down trees