Dja Faunal Reserve

The Dja Faunal Reserve, in southeastern Cameroon, protects about 5,260 square kilometers of Congo Basin rainforest, almost entirely enclosed by a natural bend of the Dja River, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Roughly ninety percent of the reserve remains undisturbed, and it holds more than 1,500 plant species, over 107 mammal species, including forest elephants, African forest buffalo and leopards, and more than 320 bird species. It is particularly notable for sheltering several threatened mammal species and multiple primate populations, including western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees and mandrills, and together with adjoining protected areas in Congo and Gabon it forms part of the wider TRIDOM conservation zone. About 40,000 people live within the reserve, including Baka hunter-gatherers who practice traditional, sustainable ways of life.