[1][2][3][4] The region has been insufficiently researched by zoologists but is known to be home to antelopes, forest elephants, and several primates, including the rare bonobo (Pan paniscus), De Brazza's monkey, crested mangabey and the lowland gorilla.

Other near-endemic mammals include the golden-bellied mangabey (Cercocebus chrysogaster), okapi (Okapia johnstoni), Allen's swamp monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis), Angolan kusimanse (Crossarchus ansorgei), Thollon's red colobus (Procolobus tholloni) and Wolf's mona monkey (Cercopithecus wolfi).

There are two birds that are near-endemic in the region: the Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis, VU) and the yellow-legged weaver (Malimbus flavipes).

The forest remains largely unspoilt as human population is limited to small communities who hunt and fish along the many rivers that cross this remote, swampy region.

The Cuvette Centrale is remote and sparsely populated, there are some riverside markets and villages such as Ikela but access to this area is difficult (by dugout canoe) and/or expensive (there are airstrips near Salonga Park).