The Congo River Basin contains the second largest rain forest in the world and is home to tens of thousands of species of plants, insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammal
The Democratic Republic of Congo is located in central Africa. It consists of a low-lying plateau with mountains in the east. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species documents the country's endangered animals. The Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is the largest primate, weighing up to 600 lbs.
The Congo Basin holds up to one-quarter of the world's tropical forests. Its mosaic of ecosystems - rivers, forests, savanna, swamps and flooded forests - are teeming with life. These forests regulate local climate and the flow of water, protect and enrich soils, control diseases and safeguard water quality.
Commercial hunting for the meat of wild animals has become the most significant immediate threat to the future of many endangered species in Africa. The bushmeat hunting is a large scale practice occurring in many parts of Africa including the most remote places.