The DRC is the only African country among the world's mega-biodiversity countries. It is home to endemic species such as okapi, Grauer's gorilla, bonobo and Congolese peacock. The DRC has close to 155 million hectares of vegetation cover, representing about 47% of the tropical forest area of the African continent and 6% of the world's tropical reserves.
Due to the socio-economic importance both for the forest industry and for the local and indigenous populations, the Government's challenge is to develop the network of protected areas, currently estimated at ±13% of the national territory so that it reaches 17% and above all so that they are functional and are subject to effective and efficient management.
As a guarantor of the Congo Basin Forests, the world's second largest after the Amazon, the government authorities, supported by technical and financial partners, have worked to prevent the degradation of the country's forest cover and to contain the erosion of its rich biodiversity.