Celebrating 10 Years Protecting Congo Basin Rain Forests
Oct 2nd, 2009 by wwftravel
By Mike Crowther
WWF and world conservation leaders are marking a decade of environment results in Africa’s Congo Basin by celebrating the millions of acres of new protected areas have been created, new initiatives on bushmeat and anti-poaching and sustainable forestry.
Still, leaders of the Congo Basin countries – including Rwanda – and conservation groups pressed for more attention, funds and technical support to save the world’s second largest rain forest and benefit its population during a Congo Basin Forest forum and congressional hearing this week.
The leaders, including heads of state and ministers for natural resources, also agree that the carbon stored in the forests should be recognized as a valuable asset during global climate change talks in Copenhagen this December. The Congo Basin is an enormous carbon storehouse, sequestering an estimated 46 billion metric tons of carbon. That’s more than any other forest except the Amazon.
Accomplishments in the central African region include:
• The establishment of 34 protected areas, 61 community-based natural resource management areas and 34 extractive resource zones – all covering more than one-third of Congo Basin forests.
• More than 11.5 million acres of forest certified as sustainably harvested by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
• More than 5,000 local men and women have been trained in conservation, land use planning and related conservation capacities.
• Improved indicators for the survival of some endangered species including populations of mountain gorillas.
Read more about conservation successes in the Congo Basin.
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