NEW YORK -- A Congo Republic rain forest rich in rare animals and trees, described by scientists as the most pristine rain forest left in Africa, will be protected from logging under a deal announced on Friday, Reuters reported. Under a deal with the congo government, timber company Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (CIB) said it agreed to give up its harvesting rights to the 100-square-mile (160-square-km) Goualogo Triangle Forest in the country's remote north. The area is densely populated by chimpanzees, forest elephants, red colobus monkeys, gorillas and other large mammals, and it contains vast tracts of mahogany trees and other valuable hardwoods. "The Goualogo Triangle is a very special place. Timber industry companies, mine included, are not in the habit of walking away from timber-rich forests," CIB president Hinrich Stoll said at a news conference at the Bronx Zoo's Congo Gorilla Forest Exhibit. The Congo government will protect the area by adding it to an existing national park. Participants in the deal said this was the first time an African timber company had voluntarily given up its harvesting rights in the name of conservation. CIB decided to withdraw after studies showed the area, which runs between the Ndoki and Goualogo rivers, was virtually untouched by humans, Stoll said. The deal was announced in New York because it was backed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which is based there. Calling the forest Africa's "last Eden," the group said scientists believe it is the most pristine rain forest left in Africa and a wildlife area of global significance. Surveys conducted by the WCS and CIB showed some of the Triangle's wildlife, particularly the chimpanzees, showed little evidence of previous human encounters, which led scientists to believe the area never experienced human intrusion. Surrounded by swamp forests and two rivers, the area's geographic isolation has kept humans out. Chimpanzees in the Triangle showed curiosity rather than fear toward researchers and did not flee when approached, unlike chimpanzees familiar with humans, particularly hunters, said Paul Elkan, WCS conservationist. "The most important aspect is that there was no sign of human activity. You feel like you're violating the place, you just don't belong," Elkan said. The privately held CIB leased the land from the Congolese government, which depends heavily on forest resources for economic development. But Henri Djombo, the nation's minister of forestry economy, said an investment in conservation was not necessarily a loss. "In fact, it is an investment in the future which can include eco-tourism, scientific work and possibilities of game hunting. A sacrifice today is a clear investment in the future," said Djombo. Stoll said logging in the Triangle could potentially have been worth $40 million to CIB. Although the company is not getting anything in exchange for giving up its harvesting rights, he said there was plenty of other land in the African nation available for logging.