>Illegal mining inside the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread, satellite data show, driving environmental devastation. Deforestation stayed at a near-record high in 2023, and preliminary data for 2024 shows that clearing continues apace. >The Okapi Wildlife Reserve covers 14,000 square kilometers (5,405 square miles) of Congo Basin rainforest. It protects an astounding array of globally significant wildlife populations: a fifth of all okapi (Okapia johnstoni); the DRC’s largest populations of forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes); the highest diversity of primate species in Africa; and more. It’s also critically important to Indigenous Mbuti and Efe forest peoples who hunt and gather forest products within certain zones. The namesake of Okapi Wildlife Reserve, the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) — also referred to as the “African unicorn” — is endangered and is only found in the the DRC. Image by Melvin Toullec via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). >With climate change, the reserve might become an even more crucial haven for biodiversity. Recent research places the reserve in the top 40% of terrestrial protected areas most resilient to extreme warming. The authors say protecting such refugia is a “no regret action.” Yet deforestation, pollution and insecurity — primarily driven by semi-industrial and artisanal gold mining — are steadily chipping away at the integrity of the reserve. Deforestation has been rising steadily for the past decade, peaking at 1,920 hectares of forest lost in 2022, according to the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform.…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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