International Climate Change Policies May Defend Africa's Forests
Around 2 million km² of Africa is covered by tropical rainforests. They are second only in extent to those in Amazonia, which cover around 6 million km². Rainforests are home to vast numbers of species. For example, the world's tropical rainforests are estimated to be home to at least 40,000 tree species, with up to 6,000 in African forests.
Yet African rainforests are poorly studied compared to those in Amazonia and South East Asia. And the continent’s rainforests are being lost to deforestation at a rate of 0.3% every year. This is slower than in Amazonia (estimated to be 0.5% per year in Brazil) and South East Asia (1% in Indonesia). But greater losses are likely in the future if palm oil production, driven by growing global demand, expand. Another major threat is logging which is also on the rise. Help for African rainforests may come from an unexpected source: international policies to tackle climate change.
Axel Rouvin