The Ituri Rainforest

By David Evans

Colonel James Harrison went to the Ituri Forest area of the Congo Free State in 1905 with the intention of hunting the Okapi (forest giraffe) and to bring back some of indigenous forest people (Mbuti) to England[1]. This area was largely unknown to Europeans at the time. The Latvian botanist  and explorer Georg Schweinfurth [2] in 1869, was the first European since the Ancient Romans, to see and write about the Mbuti. The Welsh-American explorer and journalist, Henry Stanley, of Dr Livingstone fame, was amongst the first Europeans to cross west to east through the Ituri forest, something which had only taken place some 20 years before Harrison.  This article gives a sense of how Harrison perceived the Ituri forest geography, climate and biodiversity through an exploration of his diaries, together with a summary of what is known about the area and the challenges it faces today.

Flies and Orchids

Harrison’s diaries[3] and his short book[2] provide interesting glimpses of traveling in the forest. He wrote of difficult country to journey through - “the jungle is too thick”, “ one of our donkeys nearly got lost in a bog, only its nose out”.  The heavy rain and insects were clearly challenging :- “rising [from camp] at 4.30 we found a steady downpour which never ceased until 12 o’clock. After that we had thunderstorms all day.”

Mosquitoes, flies and other insects were a constant hindrance: “ flies are perfectly awful”, and “attacked by hundreds of flying ants, which put us all to flight. I …. rushed along among the bush [to escape] but got horribly stung.”  On another occasion: “We were terribly bothered by swarms of a peculiar horse fly which bites through any clothes, and which pestered our donkeys almost to death”

On the other hand there were good days for Harrison and his companions: “it is delightful work in the forest”, “another lovely day but awful hot”, and “the most extraordinary stillness pervaded the whole place; except for an occasional band of monkeys or the harsh screaming of the hornbills there was never a sound”. There are few references to the Ituri forest flora and fauna in Harrison’s writings but he briefly mentions “Splendid trees and heaps of ferns” and that he “gathered some orchid plants”.  He also described how “during the day one hardly required to wear a cap, the sun’s rays not penetrating the thick foliage.”  Animals he encountered mainly appear in his diaries as hunting trophies that he had shot, including: antelope, water hogs, “different types of pig”, and buffalo. 

Climate and Physical Geography

The Ituri Forest is a remote region in the north east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)[4].  The forest covers an area of some 70000 square kilometres (which is over half land area of England).  Most of the forest is at an elevation of 700-1000m. It rises towards the eastern mountainous border with Uganda where the highest mountain is Margherita Peak (5109 m/ 16726ft), to the north the forest meets savanna and to the south and west the forest adjoins lower level forest  of the wider Congo river basin.  With an annual rainfall of nearly 200cm and average temperature of around 30C it is wet and humid.  The wettest months are October and November and a dry season December to February.  The high rainfall causes frequent flooding making travel difficult if not impossible particularly on the very few roads.

While the Ituri is the principal river flowing east to west, there are numerous streams and rivers draining the forest. These all ultimately flow into Congo. There is dramatic scenery with rocky granite outcrops to the north and waterfalls on the Ituri and Epulu rivers[5].

Flora and Fauna

The Ituri Forest is one of the most biodiverse areas in Africa.  Recognising this, the DRC Government established the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR)[6] in 1992 which was then listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996.  The reserve covers around 20% of the entire Ituri Forest and contains flora of outstanding diversity and provides refuge to numerous endemic and threatened species.  The  reserve also provides protected forest habitat for the traditional nomadic Mbuti people who have lived there for hundreds if not thousands of years[4].

The area is predominantly dense impenetrable equatorial rainforest [7], comprising evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, swamp forests and forest clearings with secondary vegetation. The forest trees range from smaller saplings to giant tropical hardwoods -some 50m high - with a dense forest canopy which blocks out the sunlight for much of the forest area creating the “darkness” reported by nineteenth century European explorers and writers.  The trees are supported by a maze of large aerial and butress type roots spreading over the forest floor. Where sunlight can reach the floor there are tangles of vines, nettles, fast growing trees and other vegetation. All of this makes human access to the forest extremely difficult. There are numerous ferns, orchids and other epiphytes - plants which typically grow on tree trunks in tropical rainforests.

The ground is covered with numerous seeds, fruits and nuts fallen from the canopy which provide food to many forest animals.  There are 101 mammal species and 376 documented birds in the OWR including 17 species of primates, chimpanzees, forest elephants, a diverse population of forest ungulates (hoofed animals such as deer, pigs, buffalo, antelopes, bongo).  Forest predators include leopard and genets (catlike carnivores). 

The iconic forest giraffe Okapi (Okapi Johntsoni) [8] was only “discovered” by the western world in 1901 by the zoologist and explorer Harry Johnston.  It is only found in the Congo rainforests and is the national animal of the DRC.  The Okapi, related to the more commonly known giraffe of the African savanna, is a  smaller animal around the size of a horse  standing 2m at head height and 1.7m at the shoulder[9]. Each animal has distinctive pale coloured striped markings on its rump which it is thought acts as camouflage by mimicking dappled sunlight in the forest. It is very difficult to see one in the wild, and despite his efforts Harrison was unsuccessful in his expedition objective of shooting one.  In the Mbuti culture the elusiveness of the Okapi has given it the status of forest spirit and it is taboo to hunt them[4].

Ituri Forest Threats and Challenges

The Congo is an area rich in animal, vegetable and mineral resources which has been a source of exploitation for many years[10].  Historically the slave trade, ivory, and rubber extraction, were part of the legacy of European avarice and colonialism. In the 21st century the main threats to the Ituri forest - its people, flora and fauna - continue to be from human activities.  These include: poaching for bushmeat and ivory; deforestation from extensive slash and burn clearance to create agricultural land as well as uncontrolled logging of tropical hardwoods; and illegal mining of gold, cobalt and other minerals often on an industrial scale[11, 12].

The north east Congo region bordering with Uganda, Rwanda and Southern Sudan has been a persistent source of armed conflict for long periods in the late 20th century, and armed militias continue to have uncontrolled presence in the forest areas whether pursuing political and/or resource control objectives[13].

The Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) reported: “covid 19 [was] not nearly as intense a threat to the Congolese people as attacks from rogue militias, forced migrations and food insecurity”[6].

Conservation programmes in the Congo, while aimed at enhancing biodiversity and species protection, have often had a negative effect on the indigenous people by pushing them out of their forests and away from their livelihoods  and cultural and spiritual heritage.

About the author

David Evans - worked in local government in East Yorkshire and East Lothian, Scotland for nearly 40 years in Environmental Health, Waste Management and Environmental Policy. Retired and moved back to Bridlington in 2015 and more recently to Scarborough. Has a wide range of interests including art and music, history, environmental issues and trying to keep fit and active.

References

1. Harrison, J. J. (1905) “Life Among the Pygmies of the Ituri Forest, Congo Free State”, Leopold Classic Library

2. The Harrison Diaries - Scarborough Museums and Galleries

3. The Oxford Companion to World Exploration, Oxford University Press, (2007)

4. Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo, Encyclopaedia Britannica

5. Ituri Forest - Soils

6. Okapi Conservation project Annual report 2018

7. Okapi Conservation project Annual report 2020

8. Okapi

9. The Encyclopaedia of Mammals (3rd Ed), Oxford University Press (2007)

10. Encyclopaedia of Africa, Oxford University Press (2010)

11. Encyclopaedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press

12. Minorities and Indigenous peoples in DRC - Batwa and Bambuti 

13. Extended 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee UNESCO decision (2021)