Germany contributes one billion euros for tropical forest fund
Rainforests play a vital role for global climate regulation. A new funding instrument is to be introduced to protect them. Germany is making a substantial contribution to this fund.
Belém (dpa) – Over the course of ten years, Germany will be making one billion euros available for a new fund for protecting the rainforest, said Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan at the Climate Change Conference in Belém. “This is about protecting the tropical rainforests as our planet’s lungs,” the two politicians explained.
The Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva had previously spoken about Germany’s contribution. The tropical forest fund was initiated by her government, and all states were called upon to make contributions.
Rainforests are essential to climate protection because they are able to absorb large amounts of greenhouse gases and have a cooling effect due to evaporation of water, as well as being home to a large number of animal and plant species. In many places, they are threatened by deforestation for crop and grazing land, as well as for gold mining.
The funding model of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) provides for countries to be rewarded for preserving their forests. At the same time, fines are to be imposed for each destroyed hectare of forest. This is to be tracked by means of satellite images.
