The Herbarium at Yangambi Research Station, containing over 100,000 plant specimens. Every specimen in the Herbarium is at least 50 years old and was collected by Belgians from all over Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. It represents a complete survey of everything in the Congo but unfortunately much of the animal collection has been lost or stolen. Yangambi Research Station is the former Belgian headquarters for all major scientific ecological, biological and agricultural research in Africa between the 1930's and 1960. Abandonment began in 1960 with independence and although the Congolese attempted to maintain Yangambi, sometimes in co-operation with the Belgians, the facility began to fall into disrepair through the 70's and 80's. War in the 1990's halted all potential for progress and for the past decade a skeleton crew has made a futile attempt to stave off further decline.