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Lefteris Pitarakis
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, left, looks on as Norwegian Prime Minister Jens
Stoltenberg, right, laughs after signing the Congo Basin Forest Fund at Lancaster House
in central London, Tuesday, June 17, 2008. (AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, left, looks on as Norwegian Prime Minister Jens
Stoltenberg, right, laughs after signing the Congo Basin Forest Fund at Lancaster House
in central London, Tuesday, June 17, 2008. (AP)
Large Fund Launched to Protect Congo Rainforest
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The campaign to protect the Congo basin in central Africa is the world’s biggest effort so far to battle deforestation.
30-Second Summary
The Congo Basin Forest Fund was launched Tuesday and aims to help African governments and residents of the rainforest prevent deforestation, according to a Guardian report.
One of the first projects that the fund will underwrite is an advanced satellite camera that will monitor deforestation levels. The RALCam3 high-resolution camera will provide detailed views of the forest from space.
“We are pledging to work together to secure the future of one of the world’s last remaining ancient forests,” said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the project’s launch.
The Congo basin houses the world’s second-largest rainforest—after the Amazon—and includes more than a quarter of the world’s remaining tropical rainforest. It is being cut down at a rapid rate due to logging, mining, and felling trees for firewood and subsistence farming.
The United Nations has warned that more than 66 percent of the region’s rainforest could be lost by 2040 if deforestation continues.
The governments of Great Britain and Norway are together providing 100 million pounds to the initiative. Environmental activist Wangari Maathai and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin will be co-chairs of the fund.
One of the first projects that the fund will underwrite is an advanced satellite camera that will monitor deforestation levels. The RALCam3 high-resolution camera will provide detailed views of the forest from space.
“We are pledging to work together to secure the future of one of the world’s last remaining ancient forests,” said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the project’s launch.
The Congo basin houses the world’s second-largest rainforest—after the Amazon—and includes more than a quarter of the world’s remaining tropical rainforest. It is being cut down at a rapid rate due to logging, mining, and felling trees for firewood and subsistence farming.
The United Nations has warned that more than 66 percent of the region’s rainforest could be lost by 2040 if deforestation continues.
The governments of Great Britain and Norway are together providing 100 million pounds to the initiative. Environmental activist Wangari Maathai and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin will be co-chairs of the fund.
Headline Links: ‘Biggest Ever Forest Protection Fund Targets Congo Basin’
The CBFF will fund projects that can show that they can provide rainforest residents with alternative sources of income or energy in order to lessen destruction of forests. Their effectiveness will be monitored by satellite camera.
Source: The Guardian
“RALCam3 will provide 10 meter pixel ground sampling from an orbit of 650 km (400 miles) altitude,” according to Nick Waltham, head of RAL’s Imaging Systems Division, who says that the instrument could also have important applications such as surveillance of environmental change and offshore pollution.
Source: The BBC
Background: The Congo rainforest
The Congo Basin region covers more than 1 million square km, an area twice as large as France, but its coverage is decreasing due to logging, mining, and clearing for farming and residences. The basin is home to indigenous forest peoples such as the Baka, Twa, Mbuti and Bakola.
Source: The Rainforest Foundation
Related Topics: The Amazon
Continuing deforestation and development in the Amazon rainforest led Marina Silva, Brazil’s award-winning environment minister, to resign in frustration last month. During her five years in office, Silva saw several setbacks in her plan to protect the area, including dam-building and road projects that the Brazilian government have prioritized above sustainability.
Source: findingDulcinea
Brazil’s $296 billion plan to develop the Amazon region with dams and a highway is being applauded by some who say that it will actually aid conservation. But environmentalists believe the projects will damage the rainforest and ruin livelihoods.
Source: findingDulcinea
Key Players: Wangari Maathai, Paul Martin
Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940. She won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for “her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation.” She is known for spearheading a campaign to plant trees with women’s groups in order to protect the environment.
Source: The Nobel Foundation
Paul Martin served as the 21st Canadian prime minister and is a member of parliament representing LaSalle-Emard in Montreal, Quebec.
Source: paulmartin.ca
Reference: Congo Basin Forest Fund, tropical deforestation
“The CBFF was launched in June 2008 to complement existing activities; and to support transformative and innovative proposals which will develop the capacity of the people and institutions of the Congo Basin to enable them to manage their forests; help local communities find livelihoods that are consistent with the conservation of forests; and reduce the rate of deforestation.”
Source: Congo Basin Forest Fund
The Earth Observatory provides an overview of tropical deforestation that includes an analysis of its impact, causes, current research and solutions to the problem.
Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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