List of protected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo explained

The protected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo include national parks, biosphere reserves, wildlife reserves, nature reserves, scientific reserves, community reserves, and hunting reserves. These areas total 324,290 km², or 13.83% of the country's land area.^[1] Several of the country's protected areas have been internationally designated as World Heritage Sites or biosphere reserves by UNESCO, or as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

National parks

(IUCN protected area category II)

• Garamba National Park (5000 km²)
• Kahuzi-Biega National Park (6689 km²)
• Kundelungu National Park (8236 km²)
• Lomami National Park
• Maiko National Park (10886 km²)
• Mangroves Marine National Park (216 km²)
• Salonga National Park (17,140 km²)
• Upemba National Park (13674 km²)
• Virunga National Park (7769 km²)

City parks

• Nsele Valley Park

Biosphere reserves

• Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (2215 km²)
• Lufira Biosphere Reserve (687 km²)
• Luki Biosphere Reserve (311 km²)

Wildlife reserves

• Bomu Wildlife Reserve (6542 km²)
• Okapi Wildlife Reserve (13,847 km²)

Nature reserves

• Abumonbazi Nature Reserve (5726 km²)
• Itombwe Nature Reserve (6009 km²)
• Kisimba Ikobo Primate Nature Reserve (963 km²)
• Lake Tshangalele Nature Reserve (447 km²)
• Lomako-Yokokala Nature Reserve (3602 km²)
• Mangai Nature Reserve (1903 km²)
• Mangrove Nature Reserve (1000 km²)
• Ngiri Triangle Nature Reserve (5500 km²)
• N'Sele Nature Reserve (34 km²)
• Sankuru Nature Reserve
• Tayna Nature Reserve (893 km²)
• Tumba-Lediima Nature Reserve (7412 km²)

Scientific reserves

• Luo Scientific Reserve (480 km²)

Community reserves

• Lyondji Bonobo Community Reserve (1030 km²)

Hunting reserves

• Bili-Uere Hunting Reserve (32,748 km²)
• Bombo Lumene Hunting Reserve (2168 km²)
• Bomu Hunting Reserve (4126 km²)
• Bushimaie Hunting Reserve (4369 km²)
• Gangala-na-Bodio Hunting Reserve (9829 km²)
• Luama-Katanga Hunting Reserve (2308 km²)
• Luama-Kivu Hunting Reserve (3900 km²)
• Lubudi-Sampwe Hunting Reserve (3489 km²)
• Maika-Penge Hunting Reserve (1499 km²)
• Rubi-Tele Hunting Reserve (6191 km²)
• Rutshuru Hunting Reserve (661 km²)
• Swa-Kibula Hunting Reserve (1004 km²)

International designations

UNESCO biosphere reserves

• Lufira Valley Biosphere Reserve (147 km²)
• Luki Forest Reserve (330 km²)
• Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (2350 km²)

Ramsar sites, wetlands of international importance

• Lufira Basin (44,710 km²)
• Mangroves National Park (660 km²)
• Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe (65,696 km²)
• Virunga National Park (8000 km²)

World Heritage Sites

• Okapi Wildlife Reserve (13726 km²)
• Salonga National Park (36,000 km²)
• Virunga National Park (7900 km²)
• Garamba National Park (4920 km²)
• Kahuzi-Biega National Park (6000 km²)

Notes and References

1. UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for Democratic Republic of Congo from the World Database of Protected Areas, June 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net