Western Congolian swamp forests

Western Congolian swamp forests
Map of the Western Congolian swamp forests
Ecology
RealmAfrotropical
BiomeTropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Borders
Geography
Area128,060 km2 (49,440 sq mi)
Countries
Coordinates1°15′N 18°06′E / 1.25°N 18.10°E / 1.25; 18.10
Conservation
Conservation statusrelatively stable
Protected52,662 km2 (41%)[1]

The Western Congolian swamp forests (French: Forêts marécageuses de l'ouest du Congo) are an ecoregion of the Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining Central African Republic. Together with the adjacent Eastern Congolian swamp forests, it forms one of the largest continuous areas of freshwater swamp forest in the world. It is a flooded forest with a high canopy, dense undergrowth and has a muddy floor. It has not been disturbed very much by outside influences and so remains largely pristine as getting through this forest is called "almost impossible".[2][3][4][5][6]

  1. ^ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
  2. ^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Western Congolian swamp forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  3. ^ "Western Congolian swamp forests". World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve, using WWF data. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "Western Congolian swamp forests". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Western Congolian swamp forests". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved June 20, 2021.