The Tshuapa River or Rivière Tshwapa is a river in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the main tributary of the Busira River .
8-709: The river rises in the south of the Sankuru Nature Reserve and meanders north-northwest to Elinga-Mpango and on to Bondo , from where flows in a west-northwest direction to Boende , above its confluence with the Lomela River to form the Busira River . It is 408 kilometres (254 mi) from this point to the Congo River. The town of Boende is 29 kilometres (18 mi) from the confluence and 444 kilometres (276 mi) from Mbandaka . on
16-465: A navigable length of 825 kilometres (513 mi) from its confluence with the Lomela up to the terminus at Elinga-Mpango. The section of the river from its mouth up to Ikela , at 555 kilometres (345 mi) can be navigated all year round by 350 ton barges, although a few tight bends must be negotiated. From Ikela up to Bondo at 696 kilometres (432 mi) it can carry 40 ton barges all year round. There
24-699: A northwest direction from the Sankuru Nature Reserve and across the Salonga National Park . The Busira River forms a few miles west of Boende where the Lomela River joins the Tshuapa River from the left. The Tshuapa rises in the southeast of the Sankuru Nature Reserve and meanders north-northwest and then west-northwest direction to its confluence with the Lomela River. The Lukenie River rises near Katako-Kombe to
32-781: Is a rocky bench 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) upstream from Bondo. From Bondo to Elinga-Mpango the river narrows and winds more, and is not navigable all year round. Sankuru Nature Reserve Sankuru Nature Reserve ( French : Réserve naturelle du Sankuru ) is a protected area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It was created in November 2007 to protect a forest area home to bonobo , okapi and African forest elephant . The reserve has not been managed effectively, and suffers from ongoing deforestation and bushmeat hunting. The Réserve Naturelle du Sankuru (RNSA)
40-647: The Congo River . The confluence of the Tshuapa and Lomela rivers is in the heart of the central depression of the Congo Basin . Annual rainfall averages 2,000 millimetres (79 in), with no dry season. Throughout parts of the Tshuapa catchment 20–25% of the land is subject to flooding. Permanent swamp forest stretches for 156 kilometres (97 mi) along the Tshuapa, with an area of 160,000 hectares (400,000 acres) between 20°33'E and 22°00'E. The Tshuapa has
48-563: The Congo to be managed by indigenous people. It is the largest continuous protected area for great apes in the world. It won the first REDD+ ( Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation ) contract in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. REDD+ fights climate change , but also protects biodiversity and supports local people. Fauna include bonobo , okapi , elephants, Hamlyn's monkey , blue monkey and at least 8 other primate species. The Lomela River flows in
56-458: The south of the reserve. Satellite imagery shows that the reserve continues to steadily lose forest coverage. Between 2011 and 2018 it lost 136,000 hectares (340,000 acres) of primary rainforest, of which 70,800 hectares (175,000 acres) were lost between 2014 and 2019. The main driver for deforestation is growth of agriculture. Roads built to provide access to the logging area have let commercial hunters gain access to wildlife for sale as bushmeat in
64-524: Was created by ministerial decree on 6 November 2007, with an area of 30,570 square kilometres (11,800 sq mi). The purpose was to protect the Sankuru and Lokenye hydrographic basin to guarantee the flows of rivers in the Congo Basin and to conserve important animal biodiversity, including specifically the Bonobo, Okapi and Forest Elephant. The Sankuru Nature Reserve is the first large reserve in
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