Flora
Flora diversity in Africa is highly tropical and can further be grouped under Subtropical Desert, Tropical Savanna, and the tropical forest. The Republic of Congo is typically populated by plant species of the last category and forest alone is estimated to occupy about 22.4 million hectares of the entire land surface. The highest concentration is in the Mayombe and Chaillu Massifs of the Southern and Congo’s northern regions.
This vast area is habitat to some 10.000 flora species, quite dense and diverse enough if compared to the approximated 30.000 in the entire African tropic regions. However, given the global threat to earth’s biodiversity which has and continues to consume most of the world’s forests, Congo’s flora habitat has been a victim as well. Fortunately, thanks to the country’s afforestation and reforestation efforts, some of the heavily affected areas have been reclaimed.
It should be noted that the flora diversity of Congo has been a great resource to the country’s economy as a whole. Logging, hunting, farming, and all other similar activities are nourished by the rich forest deposits. Some of its common species include Coconut Palms, Walnut, Softwood, Terminalia Superba Engl. & Diels also known as Limba (hardwood), and a wide variety of herbaceous species.
Most rural areas rely very much on natural herbs produced extracted from different plants, prepared, and even sold in several Congolese markets. A good example is the Ongokea gore, whose stem back is considered a very effective remedy for splenomegaly. And of course, the record would be incomplete if we fail to indicate how beneficial the rainforest has been to the country’s Fauna, highly nourished by the Congo basins.
Though several efforts have been taken by different plants and animal protection groups in maintaining the environment, different challenges continue to threaten its stability. Excessive logging and the exploitation of particular plant species such as the Ongokea gore, which is currently feared to have been extinct in the region continue to pose a major threat.