African Countries Pledge to Protect Rainforests with Sustainable Palm Oil
Seven African countries pledge to protect their rain forests by moving to sustainable palm oil production. In a statement from the World Economic Forum, (WEF) it said that the seven governments had agreed to “protect over 70% of Africa’s tropical forests” from unsustainable palm oil practices. The Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, the Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone were due to sign a joint declaration at the COP22 climate change talks in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Wednesday. According to the statement, the seven countries represent over 250 million hectares of tropical forest, 13% of the world’s total and 70% of the total rain forest in Africa.
Ryan Woo/CIFOR