[6] The Ubangi and Congo rivers join in the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe region to form a huge area of flooded forest covering more than 38,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi) that varies in size seasonally.

[7] When the wetlands around Lake Télé in the Republic of the Congo are included, the area contains the largest body of fresh water in Africa.

Lake Tumba covers about 765 square kilometres (295 sq mi) depending on the season, connected via the Irebu channel with the Congo river.

[3] The brown waters of the flooded forests, with plant fragments suspended in anaerobic conditions, are home to endemic species of fish uniquely adapted to this environment.

[7] As a party to the Ramsar Convention, the DRC is obliged to identify wetlands of global importance and to ensure that they are used in a sustainable manner.

[11] Efforts to gain recognition of the wetland began in 2004, with support from the USAID Central African Regional Program for the Environment, the Ramsar Convention and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

[3] The WWF has said it plans to continue working with international partners and with local communities to preserve biodiversity through sustainable development in the landscape.

They produce palm oil, groundnuts and rice as cash crops, and catch fish for shipment to large cities in the region.

[9] 26 police and at least 100 civilians died, and tens of thousands were displaced, in the 2009 Dongo conflict over fishing and farming rights in the northwest of Équateur.

Laws regulating mining, agriculture and forest use are inconsistent and poorly enforced, causing conflict over rights to exploit resources.

Illegal bushmeat hunting and trapping to meet demand from the towns and cities is causing wildlife populations to decline.