KINSHASA: In NASAsatellite images, forest fires in central Africa appear to burn alarmingly likea red chain from Gabon to Angola similar to the blazes in Brazil's Amazon thatsparked global outcry. At the G7 summit this week, French President EmmanuelMacron tweeted about the central Africa fires and said nations were examining asimilar initiative to the one proposed to combat Brazil's blazes.
G7 nations havepledged $20 million on the Amazon, mainly on fire-fighting aircraft. Macron'sconcern may be legitimate, but experts say central Africa's rainforest firesare often more seasonal and linked to traditional seasonal farming methods. Nodoubt the region is key for the climate: The Congo Basin forest is commonlyreferred to as the "second green lung" of the planet after theAmazon. The forests cover an area of 3.3 million square kilometres in severalcountries, including about a third in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and therest in Gabon, Congo, Cameroon and Central Africa.
Just like theAmazon, the forests of the Congo Basin absorb tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) intrees and peat marshes - seen by experts as a key way to combat climate change.They are also sanctuaries for endangered species. But most of the fires shownon the NASA maps of Africa are outside sensitive rainforest areas, analystssay, and drawing comparisons to the Amazon is also complex. "The questionnow is to what extent we can compare," said Philippe Verbelen, a Greenpeaceforest campaigner working on the Congo Basin.
"Fire isquite a regular thing in Africa. It's part of a cycle, people in the dry seasonset fire to bush rather than to dense, moist rainforest." GuillaumeLescuyer, a central African expert at the French agricultural research anddevelopment centre CIRAD, also said the fires seen in NASA images were mostlyburning outside the rain forest.
Angola'sgovernment also urged caution, saying swift comparisons to the Amazon may leadto "misinformation of more reckless minds". The fires were usual atthe end of the dry season, the Angolan ministry of environment said. "Ithappens at this time of the year, in many parts of our country, and fires arecaused by farmers with the land in its preparation phase, because of theproximity of the rainy season," it said.
DIFFERENT RISKS
Though lesspublicised than the Amazon, the Congo Basin forests still face dangers."The forest burns in Africa but not for the same causes," said TosiMpanu Mpanu, an ambassador and climate negotiator for the DR Congo. "Inthe Amazon, the forest burns mainly because of drought and climate change, butin central Africa, it is mainly due to agricultural techniques." Manyfarmers use slash-and-burn farming to clear forest. In DR Congo, only ninepercent of the population has access to electricity and many people use woodfor cooking and energy.
DR CongoPresident Felix Tshisekedi has warned the rainforests are threatened if thecountry does not improve its hydro-electric capacity. Deforestation is also arisk in Gabon and parts of the DR Congo, as well as damage from mining and oilprojects. Some countries are now implementing stricter environmental policies.Gabon, for example, has declared 13 national parks that make up 11 percent ofits national territory.
DR Congo hasdeclared a moratorium on new industrial logging licences but that has notstopped artisanal cutting, which industrial loggers can exploit. "We needto protect the forests that are still largely intact and stop degradation,"said Greenpeace's Verbelen. "The forests that are still intact remain animportant buffer for future climate change." - AFP