Central Africa: No Agreement on Climate Change Convention Without Adequate Compensation
14th November 2009 · 0 Comments · By Tansa Musa
Cameroon's Forestry Minister Elvis Ngolle Ngolle
YAOUNDE, Nov – One month to go to the Copenhagen climate change summit, Central African countries and forest partners say they will not endorse any agreement on climate change if the international community does not provide adequate compensation for their efforts to preserve the Congo Basin rain forests. The Copenhagen conference is designed to climax a two-year process of negotiations leading to a worldwide agreement for tackling climate change beyond 2012.
The forests of the Congo Basin, second in size only to those of the Amazon Basin, are an important economic resource for millions of people in the region and a global treasure in the critical role they play in sustaining the environment by absorbing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide which causes global warning,
Given the negative impacts of climate change, the international community is mounting pressure on countries and peoples in the region to preserve the forests for the future of humanity, thereby preventing them from fully exploiting the forests’ rich natural resources for economic growth and poverty reduction. Speaking to reporters in Yaounde on Friday at the end of the two-day 6th plenary session of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), Cameroon’s forestry and wildlife minister Elvis Ngolle Ngolle said they will only do so if the industrialised world accepts to pay for what they lose by not accessing the resources.
“Developed countries have the moral obligation to ensure proper compensation to countries and populations that are being denied access to their natural resources,” he said. “The people of this sub-region (Congo Basin) have the moral and natural right to develop just like all other people in the world. And these efforts that are being made in terms of conservation, all regulations that are put in place to ensure rationality in the exploitation of the forest and wildlife resources, they have a cost, they are an enormous sacrifice from the part of people, and we believe that if the rest of the world truly recognises these efforts – which I think they do, we think that it is about time the countries of the sub-region receive the support of the entire world.”
Taking the cue, the deputy director-general in the German Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation and current CBFP coordinator Hans Schipulle re-stressed the importance of the Congo Basin rain forests. Beyond the climatic factor, he said the forests also contain the most diverse grouping of plants and animals in Africa, including rare and endangered species invaluable for their genetic and biochemical information which could generate advances in medical, agricultural and industrial technology.
“The Congo Basin is a global treasure, but this treasure is threatened as the forests are coming under growing pressures. Ten years ago, these forests were virtually untouched. But today, logging operations, driven by a growing Asian demand for tropical hardwood, are diminishing these forests,” he sated.
Growing populations and expanding subsistence agriculture are also taking a toll, not forgetting mining, illegal logging and construction of logging roads which have intensified pressure on wildlife, he added. Although, the level of deforestation in the sub-region is just one percent, far lower the Amazon Basin and South-East Asia, it is still a matter of great concern as most rare animal species could disappear or become extinct from the Congo Basin in no distant future and humanity will pay an immeasurable price.
“Central African governments have become more attentive to the forests, they are improving legislations and institutions that manage the forests, logging activities are coming under increasing control, and the millions who depend on the forests for their livelihoods are facing increasing difficult economic times,” said Schipulle.
“Copenhagen will provide the world with a unique opportunity to support positive efforts within the sub-region.. There is no way around for compensation. The countries of the sub-region will not accept any agreement on the future climate change regime if there is no way to compensate for the under-use of their forests. This question now, or should be, how to organize this compensation to make sure it will be used in the most effective way to benefit the people and reduce poverty.”(END)
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Tags: cameroon, central-africa, climate-change, ngolle ngolle, Tansa Musa
By Tansa Musa
