PANA, Photo: Jean-Louis Albert
The European Union (EU) has released 38.15 million euros (about FCFA25 billion) to boost the regional programme to protect and develop Central African forest ecosystems (ECOFAC), a source close to the Congolese Forestal Economy ministry said here Friday.
The grant will help revive the fourth phase of the programme in Libreville, Gabon.
The programme covers Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)and Sao Tome & Principe.
The European Commission launched the ECOFAC programme following the 1992 world environment summit in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
Within 15 years and through 3 implementation phases, more than 70 million euros have been disbursed by the European Development Fund (EDF) for countries involved.
ECOFAC helps to manage 28, 000 square kilometres of forests and savannas across eight protected areas in Central Africa.
These programmes aims to develop tourist sites and preserve their huge biological and cultural diversity as well as match the needs of local populations with the need of protecting these forests.
Forests in Central Africa's Congo Basin is the second largest tropical forest after the Amazon in South America.
