Deforestation - The African Mirror

Oct

2023

Home countries of major rainforests agree to work together to save them

COUNTRIES that are home to the world's three major rainforests agreed to cooperate to overcome deforestation and safeguard biodiversity but fell short of a concrete alliance to protect the vital carbon sinks. The announcement came on the final day of the Congo Republic-hosted Three Basins summit, which brought together presidents, NGOs, technical experts, and finance sector officials to strengthen governance and preservation of the Amazon, the Congo basin, and forests in Southeast Asia. The countries recognised the importance of cooperation and agreed to develop ways to protect the forests in a seven-point plan. "We've realised that joining forces is an…

Aug

2022

By The African Mirror

How politics has subverted conservation efforts to protect Kenya’s Mau Forest

ENVIRONMENT

THE Mau Forest Complex is the largest montane tropical forest in East Africa. This is an ecosystem with rich biodiversity and is characterised by high rainfall. Composed of 22 forest sectors, the Mau is located in Kenya’s Rift Valley, the heart of the country’s fertile and rain-fed highlands. The forest plays a pivotal role in feeding a large part of the country’s water network. The Mau Forest’s 380,000 hectares have witnessed a long and tormented history of human habitation. It’s a territory hotly contested. Authors STEFANIA ALBERTAZZI, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Milan FRANCESCA DI MATTEO, Researcher, French Institute for Research…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Ghana plants 5 million trees in a single day to combat deforestation

ENVIRONMENT

GHANA aimed to plant at least 5 million trees in a single day to help regrow the country's lost forests and curb the impacts of climate change, the president said. The expansion of farming, and to a lesser degree mining and logging, has led to high levels of deforestation in Ghana, environmentalists say. Forest cover in the West African gold miner has dwindled to less than a fifth of what it was in the 1990s, according to Forestry Commission figures. At Jubilee House, the seat of Ghana's presidency, President Nana Akufo-Addo planted a seedling of lignum vitae, one of the…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa indigenous fruit trees offer major benefits. But they’re being ignored

ENVIRONMENT

INDIGENOUS fruits have been collected from the wild for centuries for human consumption and other purposes. Across the African continent, indigenous fruit trees are valuable assets for local communities. ABIODUN OLUSOLA OMOTAYO, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, North-West University ADEYEMI OLADAPO AREMU, Associate professor, North-West University But the natural habitats of trees are being lost, mainly to widespread deforestation resulting from population growth. Industrial agriculture is also contributing to their loss. Indigenous fruit trees provide vital nutrients that may be scarce in other food sources. They are naturally adapted to local soils and climates, can enhance food and nutrition security and often…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Satellite alerts seen helping fight deforestation in Africa

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

SONIA ELKS A system using satellite data to send free alerts when trees are destroyed has been linked to a significant drop in forest losses in Africa, researchers and academics said on Monday. Deforestation dropped by an average of 18% across nine central African countries after the alerts were introduced, found a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. "This is really a small revolution," said study lead Fanny Moffette, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Now that we know subscribers of alerts can have an effect on deforestation, there's potential ways in which our work can…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Regulations needed to stem cocoa sector abuses – report

HUMAN RIGHTS

REGULATIONS are needed to end poverty, human rights abuses and deforestation in the cocoa sector after two decades of voluntary interventions that have had little to no impact, a major report on cocoa sustainability said on Tuesday. The Cocoa Barometer, a biennial report published by a global network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade unions, calls on governments of major consuming nations to introduce laws that hold companies accountable for environmental and human rights abuses in their supply chains. The report also said a fair price for cocoa farmers is crucial, and that cocoa and chocolate companies must find a…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Coronavirus pandemic sparks surge in firewood use in rural Kenya

ENVIRONMENT

KAGONDU NJAGI AFTER selling another bundle of firewood to his latest customer, Augustinoa Kinyua whistled as he made his way back to the spot where he had been preparing his field for planting. Usually, Kinyua supports his family by growing and selling crops such as maize, beans and bananas on his farm in the central Kenyan village of Nkuthika. But these days, he finds there is more money in firewood, as families hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic turn away from natural gas toward more affordable, readily available wood for cooking and heating their homes. "My customers…