Sangha Trinational

The Sangha Trinational is a large protected area complex in the Congo Basin’s tropical rainforests. It consists of three contiguous national parks within a larger forest landscape on the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Congo border. This region’s tropical rainforests are found in the northern sources of the Congo River, on a generally flat landscape punctuated by shallow drainage lines. On a global scale, this is becoming increasingly rare and significant. Read the full article to understand the history of the Sangha Trinational and the Central African Republic.

Sangha Trinational

The World Wildlife Fund and the Central African government jointly maintain the Sangha Trinational. They assigned themselves the goal of protecting forest animal species, conserving representative ecosystems, and meeting the needs of local inhabitants by conservation principles. The National Park has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2012 and protects a significant portion of the tropical rainforest of the Congo Basin. 

It also comprises three Ramsar-listed sites, which were designated in 2009.:

• The Cameroonian section of the Sangha river
• The Sangha River in the Central African Republic
• The Sangha-Nouabalé-Ndoki in Congo 

With an accretion of 7,500 km2 embedded in a considerably larger forested landscape classified as an 18,000 km2 border zone, the property is notable for its huge size and wilderness attributes. Unlike many other forest-protected areas, the location is not an isolated remnant of natural forests but remains part of a much wider intact forest landscape with strong conservation prospects. It has experienced little disruption over long periods, allowing evolutionary and ecological processes to continue on a large scale.

The Central African Republic

The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Africa’s heartland. The early settlers were likely the progenitors of today’s Aka (Pygmy) citizens, who live in the country’s forested western and southern parts. The northern portions of the Central African Republic remained controlled by the slave state of Dar al-Kuti until late in the nineteenth century, when the various territories of the Central African Republic became placed under French colonial rule. 

Political rivalry arose due to colonial authorities favouring some ethnic groups over others, even after the country gained independence in 1960. Sudan, Chad to the north, South Sudan to the east and north, the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), and Cameroon to the west, make up the Central African Republic, which is nearly the size of France. The Ubangi River, a branch of the Congo River, forms the country’s southern border, where Bangui is located. 

The government is mostly in Africa’s savanna zone. The country’s northern section is devoid of trees, whereas the southern part, particularly around the Ubangi and Sangha rivers, is covered with dense tropical rainforests. The savannas support diverse vegetation, from drought, scrubby shrubs, and fire-resistant trees to lush gallery forests along rivers and streams.

Outstanding Biodiversity of Sangha Trinational

Forest elephants, gorillas, chimps, buffalo, and many other animals can be found here. In addition to forest elephants, the severely endangered Chimpanzee and the endangered Western Lowland Gorilla are found in large numbers. The Oustalet’s red spitting cobras and the bare-headed rock chicken are two other unusual animal species. 

The presence of swampy open fields known as ‘bais,’ where creatures congregate in large numbers, is among the most striking elements of this woodland region. This bais offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness and study some of the world’s most iconic rainforest wildlife. Elephants visit these sites to search for salt and other minerals, drink, socialise, fight, and play. 

Their repeated visits aid with maintaining the open clearing and allow the marshy grasses to thrive, creating ideal circumstances for gorillas, buffalo, bongos, and other wildlife. Because of the Outstanding Biodiversity of Sangha Trinational, it is the place of many animals.

Conclusion

Under the canopy of a living Sangha Trinational, the greatly expanded buffer zone provides an opportunity to understand and incorporate the livelihood needs and the expertise of local and indigenous populations. The inclusion on the List Of World Heritage offers a real chance for States Parties to put a variety of various promises made by States Parties addressing local and indigenous people’s rights into action on the ground. There are several different forest kinds and seasonally flooded areas, swamps, and mud-brown rivers. In this article, we have discussed the history of Sangha Trinational and explored various facts about the Central African Republic.