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Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

The Central African Republic is located in the heart of the African continent and is rich in natural resources. The variation in climatic zones has led to the emergence of diverse vegetation areas: the dense, mature forests of the south; the wooded savanna in the center; and the grassland savanna in the north. The fauna of the Central African Republic is rich and diverse. Species present in the country include: elephants, giraffes, forest and savanna buffalo, bongos, gorillas, chimpanzees, crocodiles and hippopotami. The aquatic fauna is characterized by economically important species like Distichodus (Mboto), Schilbé (Makelele), Latés niloticus (Capitaine), Mormyrus (Kpeté), and Hydrocyon (Mbinga). Identified threats to biodiversity include: brush fires, clearing of forests for agriculture (2,500ha/year), diamond and gold mining; degradation of riparian forests; chemical fishing; lack of capacity for in situ and ex situ conservation; and desertification.

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

The protected areas cover 11% of the country. The network of protected areas consists of 6 categories: 1 biosphere reserve, 2 integral nature reserves, 4 national parks, 1 presidential park, 7 wildlife reserves and 2 special reserves.

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

The NBSAP identified eight major issues with regard to biodiversity, including: vegetation loss; decreasing fauna; threats faced by domestic animal species; loss of agro-biodiversity; biosafety hazards ignored; non-equitable sharing of benefits; waste of biological resources and degradation of humid zones. To tackle the set of issues as a whole, a global objective was proposed: human development is assured in a sustainable fashion for the Central African Republic. For each individual issue, specific actions were proposed as well as expected results and indicators to be used in future assessments. Several examples of actions to be taken include: to develop and implement an action plan for protected areas; to elaborate, through public participation, policies for the management of renewable resources; to promote enhancive traditional practices for use of biological resources; to put in place a financial mechanism for the rehabilitation of biological resources; and to promote and strengthen in situ and ex situ conservation of agro-biodiversity.
 

• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (French)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan on national website (French)