Gabon To Be First African Nation Paid To Fight Deforestation

In a bid to fight climate change, the United Nations said on Sunday that Gabon will become the first African nation paid with international funds to preserve its forests.

According to the Central African Forest Initiative, CAFI, Gabon, which is almost 90 percent covered by forest will be provided with $150 million (136 million euros) by Norway to battle deforestation.

CAFI was launched by the UN to bring together the region’s nations with Western donors.

In a statement by CAFI, the “historic” 10-year deal will be awarded to Gabon for “both reducing its greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation and absorptions of carbon dioxide by natural forests.”

The announcement comes ahead of a major UN climate summit on Monday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called to ask countries to raise their greenhouse gas reduction targets.

According to reports, Gabon has been a leader in Central Africa in preserving its rainforests, creating 13 national parks since 2000 that cover around 11 percent of the country.

Reports further said the country boasts of around 12 percent of the Congo Basin forest, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, and is home to almost 60 percent of the surviving forest elephants in Africa, which CAFI said was “a key indicator of sound natural resource governance”.

A major scandal involving a huge haul of illegally logged kevazingo, a tropical hardwood, led to the vice president being sacked, and British-born environmental campaigner Lee White being appointed forestry minister.