Chinko

Chinko is a protected area in the southeastern part of the Central African Republic, managed by the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks as part of a fifty-year public–private partnership with the Ministry of Water, Forest, Hunting and Fishing. Chinko is located on a volcanic plateau, above sea level. Rain and other freshwater sources are plentiful, and Precambrian bedrock erosion has created a layer of alluvial soil, allowing abundant and diverse wildlife to disperse throughout the region. The park has been described having uncommon geology, plentiful water, and a role as a "diversifying agent". ==Flora and fauna==

in the park in 2012 Chinko has of "uninhabited Medio-Sudanian and Sudano Guinean" wooded savannah with some Congolese rainforest. Carnivores include the African wild dog, leopard, lion, and mongoose. and the following bird species: black-bellied bustards, buzzards, guineafowl, hoopoes, hornbills, kingfishers, secretarybirds, stone partridge, and sunbirds. Chinko, being an extensive block of pristine habitat, can provide the genetic diversity to recolonize the surrounding regions when populations there dwindle or become locally extinct. ==History==

Chinko previously served as a hunting reserve and was home to thousands of buffalo, elephant, and lion. The area saw significant decreases in wildlife populations during the 1980s–2000s because of cattle grazing, the ivory trade, and poaching. Erik Mararv and his family acquired a hunting concession in 2005 and launched a safari operation called Central African Wildlife Adventures in 2006. During the safari's six years of operating, the Mararv family built two airstrips, guest rooms, and hundreds of miles of roads, imported machinery and trucks, and trained staff. David Simpson started working as a pilot for the safari company in 2010, and was asked by Mararv to return as general manager the following year. Simpson co-created the Chinko Project to protect the area's habitat and wildlife, Fondation Segré partnered with African Parks in 2016 to hire and train rangers, construct operations centers, improve communications technology, purchase equipment, and enhance data management. In January 2017, a helicopter chartered by African Parks crashed, killing the park's head of law enforcement, his deputy, and the pilot. In April 2020, the government of CAR and African Parks entered into a revised public-private partnership agreement, extending the core protected area to 24,335 km2 and increasing the total protected management area to over a period of 25 years. In 2024, African Parks reported that Chinko had over 350 nationals employed, which made it the largest employer outside of Bangui. ==See also==