Urgent call to save Africa's forests

"It is urgent to safeguard Africa's forests, not only because they slow climate change, but also because they act as a final barrier to creeping desertification, underpin sustainable agricultural production, and support the livelihoods of tens of millions of rural poor," said Frances Seymour, director-general of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

South Africa's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, cited expert opinions indicating that a new wave of deforestation is sweeping across Africa. "South Africa regards climate change as one of the greatest threats to sustainable development." The minister called for a collective, comprehensive international programme on adaptation that provides access to significantly up-scaled finance, technology and capacity building for all developing countries.

Bob Scholes from South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said: "The next major wave of deforestation is already here and it is happening in Africa. If we can do something to (prevent) deforestation we can have a greater effect than everything that has happened so far under the Kyoto Protocol." Joemat-Pettersson told SAinfo that the socio-economic impact of climate change "is predicted to range from severe to disastrous for all, and will require extensive action to adjust and adapt to a changing climate."

Read the full article on www.southafrica.info.