Countries with the largest rainforest areas in the world want to cooperate more closely in protecting these valuable ecosystems. This was agreed by government representatives from the countries bordering the Amazon and Congo as well as the Mekong-Borneo-Southeast Asia region at the weekend in Brazzaville.
Representatives from Brazil, Indonesia, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo took part in the three-day so-called Three Basins Summit. The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and non-governmental organizations were also represented.
In the final declaration agreed on Saturday, participants reiterated their intention to curb deforestation, preserve biodiversity and combat climate change. The three regions contain two thirds of the terrestrial biodiversity and provide the basis of life for more than a billion people.
The environmental organization WWF welcomed the agreement on increased cooperation, but expressed disappointment. The meeting did not lead to an alliance between the three world regions. The organization had hoped that this would lead to better cooperation, especially for the protection and sustainable use of the rainforests. More efforts for concrete cooperation are needed to stop deforestation and protect forests, the WWF emphasized in a statement.
The meeting was the second three-basin summit. The first meeting also took place in Brazzaville in 2011. At that time, the need for a platform to strengthen cooperation between the participating countries was emphasized.
