DR Congo Finalizes Designation of World's Largest Wetland

GLAND, Switzerland, April 24, 2009 (ENS) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has finalized designation of a vast expanse of equatorial rainforest as the world's largest Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.

The huge Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe wetland in the heart of the Congo Basin was proposed for protection under the convention last July, but all the paperwork was only just completed, according to Dwight Peck of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty that provides for protection and wise use of wetlands.

Sunset on the Congo River (Photo by Sarah Daho)

Lying on the eastern side of the Congo River very close to the Equator, the Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe wetland holds the record because it is more than twice the size of Belgium, extending over 25,365 square miles (6,569,624 hectares) of marshy rainforest punctuated by rivers and lakes.

Located in the transboundary area of Lake Télé and Lake Tumba, the new site contains the largest continental freshwater mass in Africa, making it one of the most important wetlands in Africa and one of the most important freshwater masses in the world, says Ramsar's Cynthia Kibata.

The area encompasses several rivers and nine lakes that constitute a major sink for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and support a diverse range of rainforest plants and animals.

The site is inhabited by buffalo, various species of monkeys, forest elephants, and leopards. Waterbirds found only in the biome of the Guinea-Congo forests are seen throughout the site, which also supports some 150 species of fish.

The site is adjacent to the vast Grands Affluents Ramsar site across the Congo River, which covers 22,811 square miles (5,908,074 hectares).

The previous leader for Ramsar site area was Queen Maud Gulf, which stretches across 24,240 square miles (6,278,200 ha) in Canada's Northwest Territory.

Local man navigates the Ngiri River in DR Congo (Photo by Sarah Daho)

The groundwork for the new designation was facilitated by WWF's International Freshwater Programme and WWF–Democratic Republic of Congo, and support was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development through its Central African Regional Programme for Environment.

At ceremonies opening the designation process in Kinshasa on July 24, 2008, speakers applauded the new site and defined the purposes of wetland conservation for the DR Congo.

DR Congo Minister of Environment, Conservation and Tourism Jose Endundo said, "The wetlands provide not only environnmental services, but they also constitute an especially strong safeguard against poverty, particularly in the rural environment where nearly 70 percent of poor households live.

"That is why we must support the sustainable management of fishing resources for harmonious development of these wetlands for the present generations and, like a tower, for future generations, by maximizing the socio-economic advantages for the population."

"As you well know, Endundo told the audience in Kinshasa, "these ecosystems represent an essential income source and innumerable natural resources for the bordering populations and can become vital in the event of deficiency of other means of subsistence. It is thus very important to protect them."

This man pulls a giant fish from the world's largest wetland. (Photo by Inogwabini Bila-Isia, WWF-DR courtesy Ramsar Convention)

"WWF is delighted that Ramsar has recognized the importance of this extraordinary wetland and the efforts of the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect it," James Leape, director general of WWF International said then.

"This is a significant step forward for the welfare of communities who depend on this wetland for their livelihoods and for the wildlife that lives there," said Leape.

Activities such as agriculture, fishing, hunting, and collection of non-wood forest products make up a large part of income generation for the communities dependent on the site.

Cassava, sweet potatoes, sugarcane and bananas are all grown within the Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe site, while oil palm plantations, groundnuts and rice are the principal commercial products.

The designation received the support of more than 30 ethnic groups that live in the area, says WWF International wetlands manager Denis Landenbergue. "Consultation with local populations is crucial," he said. You can't just map out the site in an office, you have to go to the field and listen to people who live there and work with them. They need to see visible action that will improve their livelihoods and overall quality of life."

Two nature reserves exist within the site, Lac Tumba-Ledira and Ngiri, where research and activities to raise public awareness of conservation are carried out.

The DR Congo's commitment to manage the vast area sustainably may become a contribution to an eventual CongoWet Regional Ramsar Initiative currently under development with the Commission Internationale Congo-Oubangui-Sangha.

The Ramsar Convention now protects a total of 1,839 Wetlands of International Importance around the world, covering a total of 694,710 square miles (179,929,208 hectares).

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