. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Congo. Maiigrmies (Rhizophora sp.) iii Coiikouan Faunal Rcscnv. C. Doumenge and who, therefore, depend on the forest for fruit and roots, as well as for building materials, medicinal plants and bushmeat. The lat- ter is the most important source of protein for a large part of the population. The forests are also important as the home of the pyg- mies. Small numbers occur throughout the forested parts of the country. They still frequent the forests of the Odzala National Park. Since the 1970s, there has been an active programme of plan- tati
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Congo. Maiigrmies (Rhizophora sp.) iii Coiikouan Faunal Rcscnv. C. Doumenge and who, therefore, depend on the forest for fruit and roots, as well as for building materials, medicinal plants and bushmeat. The lat- ter is the most important source of protein for a large part of the population. The forests are also important as the home of the pyg- mies. Small numbers occur throughout the forested parts of the country. They still frequent the forests of the Odzala National Park. Since the 1970s, there has been an active programme of plan- tation establishment in the Congo, particularly in the savannas. Near Pointe Noire, for example, the Unite d'Afforestation Industrielle du Congo (UAIC) has created plantations of Eucalyptus sp. (320 sq. km) and Piiius sp. (10 sq. km). In addition, the Service National de Reboisement (National Reforestation Service) has established more than 100 sq. km of pine and Eucalyptus on the savannas and around 80 sq. km of limba planta- tions in forests. Within the next decade, the UAIC aims to have planted in the region of 1000 sq. km of Eucalyptus, mostly in the coastal region. UICN (1990) estimates that between 5000 and 10,000 sq. km of savanna are suitable for the establishment of fast growing plantations. If these are developed they would be an imponant economic resource for the country. Deforestation FAO estimated that 220 sq. km of forest were lost each year in the Congo in 1981-5 (FAO, 1988). No alternative estimates are avail- able. In countries such as the Congo with extensive forests and few people the question of deforestation rates is secondary to that of qualitative changes in the forest cover. Even though deforestation is low, the degradation of forest by accelerating cycles of shifting cultivation and over-hunting of wildlife is a major problem in south Congo. Some forest areas of great biological interest such as the coastal forests in and around the Conkouati Faunal Reserve
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