Historical State of the Ecosystem

The Congo rainforest boasts a storied and illustrative history. Thousands of years ago, during the most recent Ice Age, many areas of the inland forest were underwent relatively little change compared with the rest of the world, with the average temperature only four degrees Celsius less than it is now. This allowed for a rather unique development of the forest and its river, and the preservation of many species and ecological factors that would have otherwise dwindled. In more recent history, the rainforest hasn't demonstrated the same survival capabilities at the hands of humans. Commercial logging, civil strife, subsistence agriculture, hunting, and many other human impacts have been changing the face of the forest for over one hundred years now. This effectively reduces the size of the forest, decreases its biodiversity, and brings many species to the brink of extinction. Due to economic pressures and often exploitative political agendas, many worry that these destructive human forces will continue to deplete the forest throughout the remainder of the century, until little of the brilliant original ecosystem remains.