Friday, April 13, 2007 ;
8:27 PM
Rainforest destruction in Africa
11 April 2007
Children sit on logs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An area of rainforest five times the size of Belgium has been allocated to the logging industry since 2002.
International — The Congo rainforest is the life support system for millions of people in the 'green heart' of Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alone, 40 million people depend on the forest. Like all large intact forests, it's also crucially important for regulating the local and global climate.
As the world's second largest rainforest, the Congo rainforest is also home to some of Africa's most iconic wildlife including gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and forest elephants.Today, we're releasing a new report, Carving Up the Congo, which exposes how international logging companies are causing social chaos and wreaking environmental havoc. It also reveals how the World Bank, by far the largest donor to the DRC, is failing to stop this destruction whilst the rainforest is being sold off under the illusion that it will alleviate poverty in one of the poorest countries on Earth.
Our report shows how, in spite of a moratorium on new logging that has been in place since 2002, over 15 million hectares of rainforest have been granted to the logging industry - that's an area five times the size of Belgium, and much of this is in areas that are vital for protecting biodiversity.Taxes paid by the companies for the rights to log the forest should be going to local forest communities to provide essential services that those of us in developed nations take for granted like education and healthcare. But even the World Bank admits that over the last three years, not a single penny paid by the logging companies has reached local communities. This leaves these people not only without the forest that provided their food, shelter and medicine, but without the benefits they had been promised.
In exchange for timber worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, logging companies are also giving communities gifts such as bags of salt and crates of beer worth less than US$100, and make promises to build schools and hospitals.These promises are rarely fulfilled and there are reports that intimidation tactics are used against people who try to protest. We have heard stories of people being pushed into signing contracts (of which we have copies), even if they can't read the French in which they are written.Not only that, but corruption is endemic and the local authorities are inadequately trained and equipped to enforce the law. Poorly paid officials sometimes have only a bicycle to help them patrol vast areas of rainforest, making it impossible to control the industry.
It sounds like bad news for the Congolese, but there is still time to prevent the destruction of the rainforest and see that alternative solutions are developed which will really help to lift the country out of poverty.It's not too late to prevent the destruction of this incredible rainforest, and by putting pressure on the World Bank, that's exactly what we intend to do.
\\ We won't want this happening to our own forests, we won't want this happening to others' forests.
Again, we bring the problem back to industrialisation and economic development.
industrial developers, for the sake of meeting higher consumer demands, resort to even cutting trees from these poor and disastrous areas, leaving the people there in dire straits. have they ever considered the consequences if there is a famine or drought?
these logging companies spared no thought for the millions of wildlife animal and plant species in this rainforest. if they cannot meet the agreements of trading for logs at a reasonable repay, then they have no rights to take these logs from the forest. moreover, they should not make empty promises to build schools and hospitals. they have given the poor people in Congo false hopes and took them away after retrieving what they want.
i think that is an utmost irresponsible and despicable. these low-lying, underhand methods arose great unrest in me, leaving me the impression that they are money-minded people willing to stoop low to get their benefits out of even the poorest people.
to prevent this from happening more frequently all over the world, especially at highly preserved forest areas, NGOs such as Greenpeace has taken actions to stop these actions. Greenpeace play a major role in preserving and protecting the nature and environment. through campaigns, agreements and laws, Greenpeace has succeeded in exterminating some very environmental destructive actions such as nuclear power in Spain, Sweden, Germany, Italy and Belgium and omission of deadly toxics in electronic appliances such as computers and barbie dolls.
All of us play a part in this environmental protection movement, by using a plastic bag less, by damaging less batteries, we can reduce greenhouse gas emmision step by step. If we take solid actions internationally with heavy responsibility and serious welfare of the people to heart, the world can still be saved, and there is still a chance our Earth can regain its natural state once again.
every day is a new day ♥
Children sit on logs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An area of rainforest five times the size of Belgium has been allocated to the logging industry since 2002.