The worst environmental news I heard this year was most likely the announcement that the Congo Basin Rainforest would be open for drilling. It’s a rainforest that holds about a tenth of the earth’s carbon, and hosts so many species that can’t be found elsewhere. That seemed like a huge blow to climate and biodiversity.
Getting to talk to Birori, who promotes ecosystem restoration through working directly with communities was a valuable reminder for me.
Even though his team was fully aware of how unfortunate the news was, he knew that forest protection is best when local communities own the process.
Hopefully the next time I’m in this part of Africa, a visit to the Congo Basin Rainforest could be in order.
Congo Basin Forest