DR Congo capital in tumult as river bursts banks

DR Congo capital in tumult as river bursts banks

Burst riverbanks are causing turmoil in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa, with dark and foul-smelling water pouring into homes across working-class neighborhoods in the central African megacity. The impoverished metropolis of some 15 million people sits on the Congo River -- the second largest in Africa after the Nile -- which has swollen to near-record levels over the past several weeks. Kinshasa is crisscrossed with small rivers and waterways, which often […]

January 12, 2024 32

Africa

Congo’s waters are hotspot for endangered sharks & rays, reveals data from artisanal fishers

By Molly Herring via Mongabay An African wedgefish (Rhynchobatus luebberti) landed by artisanal fishermen and sold in Songolo (Critically Endangered, IUCN Red List). Credit: Godefroy De Bruyne A new shark census off the coast of the Republic of the Congo relied on hard-earned trust between researchers and artisanal fishermen. The team found endangered sharks and rays on potential nursery grounds, including juveniles and two species thought to be gone from the […]

November 29, 2023 31

Africa

New study pushes for protection of one of Africa’s ‘least understood treasures’

by Ryan Truscott on Mongabay Aerial view of the NGOWP team’s mekoro along the Cuando River. Image by Kostadin Luchansky/National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project. A new study reveals the extent of a tropical water tower in Angola, which performs the same role as snow-capped mountains in the Northern Hemisphere. The Angolan Highlands Water Tower contains peatlands and freshwater lakes that supply major rivers in the region, and the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta […]

November 15, 2023 12