7. Table with data that support your assessment of the current impacts (cite the source). These data will likely be part of the basis for how you arrived at this assessment.

8. Reference List

1. Butler,Rhett."Congo Deforestation."Rainforests.Web.20 Nov.2011.
.

2. "Congo Free State. "EncyclopediaBrittannica.EnclyclopediaOnline.Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.,2011.Web21Nov.2011
,Http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132463/Congo-Free-State>

3.Chlopak, Leonard, and Schechter. "Congo-Brazzaville | Congo Basin Sustainability, Deforestation, Conservation, Climate Change." Congo-Brazzaville | Congo Brazzaville | Peaceful, Democratic, Ecologically Responsible. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

4."Images Congo, Democratic Republic of the." Best Tourism Best Destinations. 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. .

5.Butler, Tina. Mongabay.com. 2007. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

6.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2825.htm#

7.http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/Congo-Republic-of-The-FUTURE-TRENDS.html

6. what you think can be done to improve (or maintain positive) human impacts on the ecosystem.

To improve human impacts on the Congo, it is important that threatening activities such as commercial logging, limiting or getting rid of subsistence agriculture, and civil strife that has overwhelmed forests, displaced forests. Because logging is such a commodity in the Congo, Congo plans to increase commercial logging. If commercial logging was minimized, it would slowly help restore the Congo rainforests. The more cutting that occurs, the more the Congo is in danger. The deforestation in the Congo is caused by subsistence agriculture. Because poor farmers use forests lands for farming and cultivation, techniques like slash and burn that are used to get rid of the trees in the rainforests continue to have a negative impact on the ecosystem (Butler,2007) .If rules were put in place about how much subsistence agriculture could be done or completely bring an end to subsistence agriculture or section a certain part of the rainforest off that can be used for cultivation. Also, since the mid -90’s civil strife (violence) has hit Africa.  Many refugees have made its way through the Congo killing wildlife and vegetation. This leads to animals being taken out of their natural habitat and making the population of endangered species even smaller. In essence, a policy needs to be put in place restricting people from having access to the Congo rainforests or limiting the area in which people have access too. Putting a policy in place will, help sustain the rainforest and protect the wildlife and vegetation. With policies enforced, it will help the Congo begin restoration to the devastated areas and it will also help secure the Congo so it will have a long lasting stamina for future generations to experience

5. About the future prospects of the congo

The congo Rain forrest is more then just a rain forrest. There are many inhabitants to the region and is run as its own economy. Therefor the future of the region can easily rested upon the shoulders of the people who run it. Many factors hold the congo back from advancing further into society as an elite nation. Nationsencyclopedia.com had this to say about the topic at hand."One of the major impediments to improvements to the Congo's economy is the service on the Congo's external debt. The Congo is one of Africa's most indebted countries, with its foreign debt totaling about 250 percent of its GDP. As a result, too large a share of the government's revenues goes to servicing that debt and very little remains for building infrastructure and maintaining the social services of the country. To solve this problem, the International Monetary Fund agreed to an Interim Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Program which provides for debt relief based on the Congo's implementation of economic reforms (Encyclopedia of Nations 2011)"
So as you can see the congo is a nation that could have a lot of power but its debt is holding it back. Also there is a lot of military impediments as well.


http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/Congo-Republic-of-The-FUTURE-TRENDS.html

4. Current human impacts on the ecosystem

The current human impacts are  commercial logging, poaching, and mining. This is the world's most threatened ecosystem. I believe the biggest imapct is deforestation. Some are destorying trees and plant to urbanize the jungles and when you destroy the trees and plants you destroy all the wildlife that lived there. The widespread civil strife has devasted forests. The congo has been a deadly warzone since the mid-90s with no victor. refugees have moved through the forest stripping vegetation and increasing devasting numbers in wildlife.

3. Historical state of the ecosystem

The African Congo was previously called the Belgian Congo. indigenous people mostly lived there. It was later occupied by the Bantu Groups. Some of those groups still live there today. The American Henry M. Stanley navigated and opened a exploration of the congo. The exploartion was commissioned by King Leopold II of the Belgians. Stanley and King Leopold made treaties and they gave King Leopold the opportunity to collect a huge amount of personal fortune from ivory and rubber through Congloese slave trade. About 10 millions slaves died from forced labor, starvation, and outright extermination during Leopold's rule. On June 30, 1960 two famous nationalists won an election: Patrice Lumumba of the leftiest Mouvement Nationalist Congolais became prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu of the ABAKO became head of state. (U.S. Department of State)
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2825.htm#

2. Image of my ecosystem

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=The+Democratic+Republic+of+Congo&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=552&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=Gj9bA5z4GQvFzM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tinytravelsite.com/republic-of-congo-travel-guide/&docid=c8JgGeO-Do__6M&imgurl=http://www.tinytravelsite.com/wp-content/uploads/congo-forest.jpg&w=430&h=323&ei=cPDBTrTAG4KciQKnsP38Cw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=128&sig=104361457895719580783&page=3&tbnh=150&tbnw=195&start=23&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:23&tx=79&ty=85



http://www.bestourism.com/bests/bestimages/Congo-Democratic-Republic-of-the_c_55

Butler, Tina. Mongabay.com. 2007. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

1. A map of the study area

http://www.globalissues.org/article/87/the-democratic-republic-of-congo

http://www.afropop.org/explore/show_country/ID/21/Congo,%20African%20Music,%20World%20Music