Time is running out to protect Africa's forests
Africa’s tropical forests teem with biodiversity, support at least 100 million people and play a vital role in combating climate change. But they are under threat from agricultural commodity production. Urgent cooperation is needed to remove deforestation from commodity supply chains. Proforest’s Abraham Baffoe explains why.
In November 2016, seven African heads of state made a collective public commitment to sustainable palm oil development at the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh.
The Marrakesh Declaration for the Sustainable Development of the Oil Palm Sector in Africa was developed under the umbrella of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 (TFA 2020) Africa Palm Oil Initiative. Ministers from countries representing nearly 70% of Africa’s tropical forests signed the landmark agreement. It was an important step in protecting these forests from the threat of unsustainable palm oil development.
Thierry Gouegnon