The Congo Basin Forest Fund CBFF, a multi-donor facility established to take action to protect the forests in the Congo Basin region, was launched recently in London by Gordon Brown and Jens Stoltenberg, prime ministers of Britain and Norway respectively, and Donald Kaeruka group president, African Development Bank,ADB.
The fund, which has already garnered pledges of #216 million, was launched amidst fanfare in the presence of the CBFF chairmen, Wangari Maathai, a Noble laureate and Paul Martin, former Canadian prime minister, along with representatives of international development partners, civil societies and the private sector. ” Together we are pledging to work to secure the future of one of the world’s last remaining ancient forests. Preserving our forests is vital if we are going to reduce global emissions and tackle climate change,” Brown said.
Kaberuka, expressed the bank’s appreciation for the lead role being played by the British and Canadian prime ministers, leaders and governments of the Congo Basin, as well as the co-chairs of the fund and assured them of the ADB’S support.
The United Nations estimates that 66 per cent of the rainforest will be gone by 2040 if the destruction is not halted. One of the first steps to arrest the deforestation of the Congo Basin eill be the use of state- of -the-art satellite technology to map, with precision the extent of the damage caused by deforestation.