Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services
The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.
In spite of the development of legislation and policy documents that have contributed to managing the country’s biodiversity in a more sustainable manner, a general trend of biodiversity degradation continues. The compilation of a more accurate picture of biodiversity status and trends is hampered by lack of information and the non-existence of a system for reviewing and monitoring biodiversity, including a set of indicators.
In 1986, it was estimated that forests covered 15% of the country’s territory. The general observation was that there was a progressive annual reduction of forest areas, to the benefit of savannah grasslands, of 2.5% between 1985 and 1996. Slash and burn agriculture is one of the main causes of the reduction of different forest types. The extensive use of wood energy (by approximately 99.8% of the population) also contributes to significant habitat loss around major cities. Anthropogenic pressures on the rainforest in the southwestern part of the country, due mainly to industrial logging, have resulted in the forest being reduced by 19,400 hectares per year. Biodiversity loss at all levels has been evidenced, including a significant reduction in flagship species, such as the elephant, giraffe, ostrich, lion, hippo and damaliscus, as well the skimming of the populations of some noble species, such as Entandrophragma cylindricum (Sapelli). However, in areas where local programs for managing forest resources exist, the effects of pressures are mixed.
Protected areas comprise 11% of the country’s territory. However, if multi-purpose reserves, including leased or licensed sectors and village hunting zones, are also taken into account, the total area under protection increases to 38%. In protected areas (e.g. Zemongo, Nana Barya reserves), the incursion outside of transhumance corridors of Sudanese and Chadian herders, along with their herds of cattle, is a factor contributing to habitat degradation. Also, despite the conservation of large mammals through programs implemented in protected areas and village hunting zones (ECOFAC-ZCV, ECOFAC-NGOTTO, WWF DZANGA-SANGHA), threats from poaching and armed conflicts impede progress towards the restoration and conservation of species diversity. The André Félix National Park and the Yata Ngaya Wildlife Reserve have been gradually emptied of their wildlife by extensive poaching and Sudanese transhumance. However, the most serious disturbances to protected areas are linked to the creation of new villages, making their management costly, very difficult, if not impossible. The presence of humans in protected areas scares away wildlife, affecting revenues from tourist services for the communities. Invasive alien species represent the second source of threat to habitats and the livelihoods of rural communities. While aquatic ecosystems are slowly being invaded by water hyacinth (Eicchorniacrassipes), Salviniamolesta, and water lettuce (Pistiastratioites), rangelands are threatened by the encroachment of the Laos herb (Chromolaenaodorata). An institutional framework to monitor invasive alien species has not yet been developed. Watercourse habitats are also vulnerable to gold and diamond mining exploration. The Sangba, Bamingui and Ngoumbiri Rivers, in protected areas, whose watercourses were vital to animals and local populations, have been significantly destroyed as a result of mining activity.
The depletion of agrobiodiversity resources is particularly worrisome. Food crops account for 75% of cultivated areas and are often self-consumed. On 150,000 km2 or about 1.5 million ha of agricultural land, only 7,000 km2 are cultivated each year. Those crop cultures are undergoing genetic erosion due to limited capacity for in situ and ex situ conservation. Cassava, rice and maize cultures are also threatened by viral diseases, pest attacks and climatic variability, while cultivars of sorghum are scarce or disappearing.
Indigenous peoples, such as the Baakas pygmies, are solely reliant on forest resources (hunting, gathering, fishing, etc.) as a source of livelihood. Almost all of the rest of the country’s population is to a greater or lesser degree dependent on non-timber forest products (caterpillars, edible fungi, bushmeat, vegetables, fruits, etc.) for food and medicine. Wildlife contributes 90% of the protein requirements for 62% of the rural population, with average consumption being 11.6 kg per person per year. Cattle are the source of 98% of the meat and 100% of the milk produced in the country. The Central African Republic is also an exporter of cattle to the Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria. The FAO estimated in 2007 that the country’s forests provide 2,000,000 m3 of wood fuel for domestic purposes, representing more than 95% of the energy demand of households, particularly in rural areas. Forests also provide timber export resources (round wood and sawn timber), contributing up to 9% of the Gross Domestic Product and 13% of the state’s revenue, and are the country’s largest industrial employer. Protected areas are also a source of foreign exchange for the country and thus a tool for socio-economic development for riparian communities. Sport hunting practiced around these areas generates jobs and substantial revenue for the country as well as for the municipalities and surrounding communities. The annual production of cassava, which is the staple food, was estimated at 562,000 tons in 2002, representing 40% of the farms. Groundnut (122,000 tons) and maize (107,000 tons) are the other main food crops cultivated; cash crops are cotton, coffee, tobacco, palm oil and sugar cane.
Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)
The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.
The main causes of ecosystem degradation are the lack of biodiversity management planning; inefficient management of regulatory measures and economic measures for biodiversity valuation; absence of technical measures for efficient management; lack of awareness regarding the sustainable use of biodiversity. The principal threats to biological resources are deforestation and forest degradation; large-scale poaching; uncontrolled border transhumance; uncontrolled exploitation of biological resources; lack of a national inventory of biological resources and a taxonomic referral center; uncontrolled introduction of invasive alien species; loss of agro-biodiversity genetic resources; lack of a climate change warning system; armed conflicts. Biodiversity management has also been weakened by the politico-military crisis responsible for the use of assault weapons, explosives and steel cables for hunting game. Some protected areas have been invaded by soldiers who hunt game species for their main food sources. Fisheries resources are also being depleted, while legislation is ignored. The root causes for this are the use of unauthorized fishing equipment, such as ichthyo-toxic products, and a lack of knowledge about spawning areas.
