Gabon : The first African nation to be paid for preserving rainforests

The West African nation of Gabon made history; it is to be the first in the continent that is being paid to preserve its rainforest to reduce carbon emissions and forest degradation. With 88% forest cover, Gabon’s tropical rainforest plays a vital role in the region and beyond.

To contextualise it, the forests are a home to unique wildlife including 60 per cent of the world’s remaining forest elephants. The trees absorb a total of 127 million tonnes of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent to removing 30 million vehicles from the world’s roads. The payment of $17 million is the first instalment of $150 million from the Norwegian government scheduled to be paid under the UN-initiated Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) scheme, as part of a global strategy to meet climate change challenges.

CAFI is a collaborative partnership between the UN Development Program (UNDP), six Central African countries, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank and an alliance of donors including the United Kingdom, Norway and South Korea. “There is no climate solution without our rainforests." The international community needs to rise up and support forest countries that take action.

Africa is the continent that contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions, but suffers the most from the impact of climate change. It is time to recognise that we all are a part of the same planet, regardless of our continent.

We at Enposs pledge to do our part in reducing emissions using FORCE, will you join us?