DR CONGO ~ Salonga National Park - UNESCO ~

... No better way to start the week than with this little African gem💚... first of two fantastic new National Parks coming from DR Congo... amazing aerial view of elephant herds🐘... it's  the largest forest national park in Africa and one of the last remaining intact tropical rainforests in the world... even larger than Belgium!!!... a natural treasure in the heart of the Congo Basin... the park is very isolated and only accessible by water... tragically, forest elephants have never been more threatened... poaching are a highly lucrative business, due to the skyrocketing ivory prices on international markets... Central Africa is losing its elephant population at an alarming rate, and Salonga is no exception😢... Thanks a lot Deo for sending and Hééééél Erg Bedankt Mike for arranging this swap for me...❁◕ ‿ ◕❁

Salonga National Park was established in 1970 and is situated in the heart of the Congo Basin, south of the Congo River. It spans over 33,350 km². It consists of two large blocks (“north” and “south”) separated by a corridor of about 45 km wide.

The Park is the habitat of many endemic endangered species, such as the dwarf chimpanzee, the Congo peacock, the forest elephant and the African slender-snouted or "false" crocodile. Salonga is also the only National Park in bonobo range. It potentially holds 40% of the world bonobo population.

Forest elephants are a smaller subspecies of the African elephants, they have been referred to as "forest gardeners" due to their significant ecological role: many plants only germinate after their seeds have passed through an elephant's digestive tract. Further, forest elephants disperse more intact seeds over larger distances than any other species.

Since 1984 the park has been listed as an UNESCO World Natural Heritage.

Stamp:

Campaign Against AIDS
(Issued 2005)