In some Congo basin forests, poaching kills up to 10 percent of the elephant population annually.

NPR: Lifting the Ivory Ban Called Premature

The CBFP has planned a network of new and expanded national parks which will cover 40% of the entire Congo Basin.

BBC: Concern over Congo logging

And several jealous Western governments and companies want to stall China's advance into the Congo basin, with its vast reserves of minerals and timber.

ECONOMIST: Hope and peril for the Great Lakes

The U.S. government has also been "extremely active in the Congo Basin region in putting pressure on governments to take this issue seriously, " according to Huijbregts.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Beginning in 1999, the renowned conservationist and explorer spent more than a year hiking 2, 000 miles across Africa's Congo Basin to explore the ecology and environmental status of the region.

NPR: African Flyover Reveals Impact of 'Human Footprint'

For that, he travelled to the forests of Cameroon, in the heart of the Congo Basin -- indigenous people, wildlife and logging companies all compete for dwindling resources and as Quest discovers, time is running out.

CNN: Best of Quest

The elephant population in central Africa, where the worst of the killing is believed to be taking place, has dropped significantly over the past 10 years, according to estimates cited by Bas Huijbregts, head of field programs for the conservation organization WWF in the Congo Basin region.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

As sustainable development finance remains a critical concern for African economies, the African Development Bank has invested in a suite of creative financing and support instruments, such as the Congo Basin Forest Fund, ClimDev-Africa Fund, Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, African Water Facility, and Africa Carbon Support Program.

CNN: Sponsors

Deep in the jungle of the Congo River basin, far from the eyes of most of the world, a largely forgotten African war is being fought.

BBC: Congo Brazzaville's hidden war