Spolkové ministerstvo životního prostředí SRN: DR Kongo má v plánu vyhlásit ochranu na 15 milionech hektarů deštného pralesa

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo plans to designate between 13 and 15 million hectares of the Earth’s second largest rain forest region as new protected areas. "I was deeply impressed by the decision of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to conserve its forest resources by establishing new protected areas, while at the same time ensuring sustainable use by the inhabitants," Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told his Congolese counterpart José Endundo Bononge. "This will benefit not only the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also the international community, for protecting the country's vast forests with their enormous carbon stocks helps to mitigate climate change and conserve the wealth of this forest biodiversity". Gabriel suggested to Minister Bononge that the new protected areas be incorporated into the global LifeWeb Initiative. Gabriel proposed this funding initiative for protected areas at the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, currently taking place in Bonn.

The forests of the Congo Basin in Central Africa are the Earth's second largest continuous rain forest and have a unique biodiversity. The largest part of the Congo Basin forests lies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The entire forest area of the country, including dry forests, covers around 1 million km² (larger than the combined area of France and Germany). After years of civil war, the country is impoverished and must now face the laborious task of rebuilding its economy, administrative structures and political institutions.

Besides combating illegal logging, for the conservation of the Congo Basin forest and its abundant biodiversity it is essential to introduce principles of sustainable management and a protected area regime for these species-rich forests. At present, 9% of Congolese territory – corresponding to 22,000 km² - is conserved in various categories of protected areas. The government of DR Congo aims to extend this area by up to 15 million hectares (150,000 km²).

The conservation of the forests of the Congo Basin is the focus of the international Congo Basin Forest Partnership, currently being coordinated by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development. Germany is providing the Congo Basin region with a total of over 53 million euro for the protection of the tropical forests.

Further information:
www.bmu.de/un-conference2008