Ntokou-Pikounda National Park | |
Iucn Category: | II |
Map: | Republic of the Congo |
Map Alt: | Map of the Republic of the Congo showing the location of Ntokou-Pikounda National Park |
Relief: | 1 |
Location: | Republic of the Congo |
Coordinates: | 0.35°N 49°W |
Area Km2: | 4572 |
Established: | 28 December 2012 |
Ntokou-Pikounda National Park is a 4572km2 protected area in the Congo Basin of the Republic of the Congo. The park is known as the "Green Abyss" from J. Michael Fay's MegaTransect. The towns and villages surrounding the park have a combined population of 25,000-30,000 people, and few services exist for tourists.
The park was created on 28 December 2012, when the Congolese Ministerial Council and President Denis Sassou Nguesso adopted the Decree Establishing the Ntokou-Pikounda National Park, primarily to protect an estimated population of 15,000 lowland gorillas. The park also has an estimated 8,000 forest elephants and 950 chimpanzees.[1] [2] [3] [4] It has also been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many bird species.[5]