Norway To Compensate Gabon With 17 Million Dollars For Good Forest Protection
The fund which is handled by UNDP, is to reward Gabon for working on the impact of climate change in the country.
The Government of Norway has announced it would compensate Gabon for its engagement in forestry protection by giving the country 17 million US dollars, about 9.3 billion FCFA.
This amount is the quid pro quo for the supplementary carbon sequestration by Gabon between 2016 and 2017, thanks to the measures put in place in the country with the goal of fighting against deforestation.
Gabon had sequestered about 3.4 million tons of carbon during the period under review.
The money would be given to Gabon through the Central Africa Forestry Initiative (CAFI), a fund created in September 2015, to which Norway is the principal contributor, and managed by the United National Development Programme (UNDP).
According to Sveinung Rotevatn, the Norwegian Minister of Environment, “this is the first time an African country is being compensated for having reduced emissions linked to the forest at national level.”
“The recognition by CAFI of our surveillance system and our data is particularly encouraging due to the fact that they constitute a world reference in the domain of payments for the reduction of emissions linked to deforestation and the degradation of forests,” said Lee White, Gabon’s Minister of Environment, on hearing the good news.
Gabon has been engaged for several years in the climate change fight and the protection of the environment, which is evidenced by the country’s adoption of multiple reforms geared at protecting the forest.
During the celebration of the International Forestry Day on March 20 this year, the Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba reaffirmed his determination to protect the forests in the country within the context of the fight against climate change.
The forest represents 80 per cent of Gabonese territory.
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