The central African region contains the second largest area of tropical rain forest on the planet, covering an area of around 540,000 square miles (870,000 square kilometers). Mainly found in the equator region in central and western Africa, the rain forest covers parts of the Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic and sporadically appears in Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea and the island of Madagascar.
The African rain forest is home to many unique animals including the aardvark, bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee), common chimpanzee and gorilla as well as the duiker, bongo and bushbuck antelopes. Animal life is greatly varied in over relatively small areas in the rain forest; a 4-mile patch is capable of sustaining hundreds of species of birds, butterflies and amphibians. Many of these cannot be found anywhere else, making the African rain forest an extremely important conservation environment. The pygmy hippopotamus, which makes its home solely in Sierra Leone and the Côte d'Ivoire's Bandama River, is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which estimates the remaining number at 3,000 individuals.
There are an estimated 8,000 plant species present in the African rain forest, ranking second only to South Africa's Cape Floristic Region in terms of diversity. Only around 10 percent of plant species in the rain forest have been formally identified, making the area of great scientific interest. Notable African rain forest plants include the oil palm, which is valued commercially for its oil, the African mahogany and the okoumé, which is found only in central Africa and accounts for 90 percent of the trees logged for timber in the region.
The African rain forest is noted for its unique dryness and seasonality compared to similar Amazonian and South Asian tropical climates. Most of the plant life is thought to exist close to the climatic limits of what is considered to be rain forest vegetation. During its distinctive dry seasons, the canopy of the trees in the Congo basin area has a tendency toward deciduousness if water levels are reduced in a particular tree, while trees closer to ground level remain evergreen. The occasional seasonal loss of leaves makes the African rain forest unique in this respect.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, only around 20 percent of Africa's rain forest remains, which is largely due to commercial logging and agriculture. Between 1980 and 2005, Africa had the highest deforestation rate of any forested area worldwide and has lost approximately 80 percent of its total rain forest coverage. As a result, areas such as Mali and Niger have experienced greater levels of drought and soil erosion. The reduction and in some cases complete removal of forested areas has led to the destruction of many plants and the removal of native animal habitats. The island of Madagascar, which was once dominated by rain forest, has lost much of its prized plants and native animals to deforestation. The largest remaining area of African rain forest located in the Congo basin was protected in 1999 by the formation of the Sangha Tri-National Park, which covers parts of the Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo and Cameroon.
