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We thank you for your
help in saving the planet and hope you will enjoy the
VAN XILEF painting for many years to come. We confirm
that all monies received will be used to purchase and
regenerate rainforests and natural wildlife habitat
anywhere on the planet to preserve Nature for all
life.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Albertine Rift montane forests
The biodiversity of this region is threatened by a number of activities: agriculture, grazing of livestock, hunting, and logging. Many of the montane forests have already been cleared, but some sizable blocks of montane forest still occur in areas such as the Virunga, Itombwe, and Rwenzori Ranges.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests
Many of the large mammals of this ecoregion are threatened by humans from bushmeat hunting and because certain parts of some animals are believed to bring good luck or good health. Mandrills, forest elephants, and lowland gorillas are relatively easy to hunt, and their populations are slow to recover when many individuals are killed. Another threat to the region comes from extensive logging in areas of pristine rain forest. And as is the case in many areas throughout the world, once an area of forest has been logged, people quickly immigrate to the area and then convert the land to agriculture. Unfortunately, there are very few well-managed protected areas in this ecoregion.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Cameroonian Highlands forests
The region is threatened by extensive forest loss due to firewood collection and unsustainable timber production. The area's rich, volcanic soils have also made the land a target for farmland conversion and cultivation. However, once the soils are cleared of protective forests, they tend to dry up, making them barren and useless for agriculture.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Central Congolian lowland forests
Luckily, this ecoregion's habitat remains largely unexploited by
humans, and logging is still not much of an issue here. However,
poaching is a problem. Hunters of the rare bonobo chimpanzee pose a
grave threat to the few members of the species that remain. As human
populations increase, as logging methods become more refined, and as
access becomes better, these forests could also become subject to
exploitation.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Comoros forests
The human population of the Comoros has been increasing, and most of
the lowland forests have already been converted to agriculture. The
largest remaining forest is on Mount Karthala on Grand Comoro, but this
area is not protected. Introduced species are another threat to the
biodiversity of the Comoro Islands. Feral mongooses, for example, have
nearly wiped out all of the islands' snakes. With more than 80 percent
of the natural habitats in this ecoregion gone, the loss of endemic
species is a major cause for concern, and conservation of the remaining
forest should be a top priority.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests
Commercial logging and agriculture are the greatest threats to the
Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest ecoregion. In addition, bushmeat
hunting of large mammal species including antelopes, monkeys,
chimpanzees, and gorillas is a growing problem. In some areas, this
trade is fully commercialized and is the major source of protein for
nearby towns. In other areas, lowland gorillas are hunted for their
supposed magical and medicinal properties. There is also pressure to
establish teak, rubber, wood pulp, oil palm, and banana plantations in
the forest zone of Nigeria.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
East African montane forests
At lower altitudes, native forests have been destroyed to make way for
tea, coffee, and conifer plantations. At higher altitudes, increased
rates of human-caused fire are believed to have destroyed forest
habitats, such as the cloud forests that have been lost on Mount
Kilimanjaro.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Cross-Niger transition forests
Over thousands of years, the farming practices of local people in this
ecoregion have transformed the landscape from forest to savanna. The
few protected habitats here are highly fragmented by the surrounding
farmland and by cities such as Port Harcourt, which is the center of
the oil industry. Most of the rain forest has been destroyed for
farming. And with continuing urbanization, the pressures on the
Cross-Niger landscape continue to grow.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Eastern Arc forests
Growing human populations on the lower slopes of these mountains
struggle to make a living with very few available resources. Firewood
collection and the spread of farms threaten the Eastern Arc Montane
Forests, few of which are protected in national parks.
Afrotropics
•
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Eastern Congolian swamp forests
Although logging has been carried out in some areas of this ecoregion,
the habitat is fairly intact and the forest appears to be regenerating
well where it had previously been cut over. However, poaching is
decimating forest elephant and bonobo populations. Little is known
about biodiversity in this region, and we may be losing species that
have yet to be discovered.
