Having recently watched The Legend of Tarzan, I fell in love with the location and the beautiful cinematography of the landscape. The Congo Basin is a magnificent beauty that has a charm of its own. Sure, the movie wasn’t really shot in the Congo (instead in Gabon, a National Park), it took my breath away nonetheless. While that happened, my curiosity turned into a google search and the result was a bit alarming.
In the past years, the Congo’s animal species have been endangered due to poaching and the land deforested for mining and fuel. The local people haven’t tried much to protect the vast forested land. Due to the increase in the population of the 150 tribes that live in the region, the forest is being used up for its resources. Wildlife services want to preserve this part of Africa. Even though it is not true that all these tribes are harming the forest, some, however, are settling along the rivers and close to the roads that have been constructed. Plantations and logging are a big part of the locals needs that are straining the forest.
In the region, about 10,000 species of tropical plants, 1000 species of birds, 400 mammals, and 700 species of fish exist. Among the mammals is the endangered wildlife which includes: forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, lowland and mountain gorillas.
These animals are being hunted for sport and other purposes such as illegal trade of animals to zoos and ivory. Also due to the land’s rich resources such as diamonds, gold, and other important manufacturing materials, people are highly interested in hacking through this beauty. Even with wildlife and land restrictions, people continue to hunt the Congo. Roughly the size of the United States, this rain forest is the second largest after the Amazon.
The biggest contributor to it’s safety is the WWF. They are successfully collaborating with trade companies to minimize or ban the illegal trades. They also associate with the local communities to diminish forest deforestation and protect wildlife.
The world must understand that while they think it is their right to gouge up the resources of the region, there is life that exists that also has right to the place. It is their home, these animals are helpless on their own. It is our duty to protect them. It is true that the tribes of the region are a part of the forest as it is their home. But they have a duty to protect it as well. If it is their home, then it is for the species as well. The poachers however need to be stopped, their hunting games and fun does not only kill innocent creatures for no reason but ruin the ecosystems as well.
