Page 57 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

AGENDA CAN WE REALLY
ANALYSIS
TALK TO THE
ANIMALS? WE
INVESTIGATE

O AGENDA EDITOR JAMES FAIR SPEAKS
ii UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES | BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE REAL LIFE DR DOOLITTLES P64

If the Democratic
Republic of the Congo
lifts its logging ban,
endemic rainforest
species could sufer.

AFRICA'S TICKING TIME BOMB

MILLIONS OF HECTARES OF RAINFOREST IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO UNDER THREAT.

n area of tropical director of the Rainforest grow on areas of deep peat, – the ‘second’ chimpanzee – and
rainforest greater than all Foundation UK (RFUK). “In logging them would have a the okapi, also known as the
Aof France is at risk if the those terms, this makes the disproportionately high impact forest giraffe, are found there.
Government of the Democratic lifting of the moratorium the on carbon emissions – more The World Bank says it funds
Republic of the Congo single biggest threat to the than 10 billion tonnes of sustainable development work
(DRC) pushes ahead with a world’s forests.” carbon dioxide could to the tune of US$70m (£50m)
proposed lifting of its logging A ban on any new DID YOU be released, it said, across 12m ha in one province
moratorium and changes to logging concessions roughly 25 per cent in the west of the DRC, with
the Forest Code. being granted was KNOW? of the annual global an aim of reducing poverty and
That’s the view of a coalition introduced in 2002 The rainforests in total. “Lifting the pressure on forests.
of 51 environmental NGOs, under the condition the Congo Basin of moratorium is “The group of donors working
Central Africa cover
which is calling on international that it would not be some 180m ha, of setting the fuse on a on environmental issues in
donors – including the World lifted until there was which about 60 carbon time-bomb,” the DRC is discussing the
Bank and the United Nations greater control over, per cent are in the Counsell warns. latest developments with the
Democratic Republic
Biodiversity levels in
Development Program (UNDP) and transparency of the Congo. the Congo rainforest, Government,” a spokesperson
Jiro Ose/Redux/eyev ne forestry programmes. forestry sector. the Amazon in size, are known to + FIND OUT MORE
within, DRC’s
– to suspend funding in related
told BBC Wildlife. James Fair
which is second only to
“We estimate that an area of
Analysis carried out by the
Rainforest Foundation www.
70–75 million ha is under threat,”
RFUK last year revealed that,
be high, and significant endemic
rainforestfoundationuk.org
says Simon Counsell, executive
Spring 2018 because many of DRC’s forests species, including the bonobo BBC Wildlife 57