Preserving forests

Congo basin

A mosaic of forests, swamps, rivers and savannahs, the Congo Basin is bursting with life. It is the second largest tropical forest basin after Indonesia, but also the only basin that absorbs even more carbon than it emits.

The Congo Basin in figures

Nearly 100.000

tropical plants, 30% of which are found only in the region

550

million hectares, ten times the size of mainland France

75 millions

of people whose food, water and shelter are provided by the basin

150

distinct ethnic groups living together there

Some symbolic species

The giant pangolin

Lives in dense, humid forests. Their scales are highly prized in Chinese medicine (although they are only keratin, identical to our fingernails!).

The aquatic chevrotain

Nicknamed the “hind pig”, it looks like a small deer with webbed feet. It lives in mangrove areas and feeds on shoots and fish.

The leatherback turtle

Is particularly affected by climate change because the heat of the sand in the egg-laying area has an impact on the sex of the newborns!

Pressures on African forests

In Africa, deforestation is accelerating. It rose from an annual average of less than 2 million hectares between 2001 and 2013 to more than 4 million between 2014 and 2018.

With a current population of 185 million, the population of the Congo Basin is expected to double by 2050. Urban sprawl, infrastructure development and family or subsistence farming have amplified the deforestation process in the region.

Beyond the forests of the Congo Basin, the pressure is often linked to people’s need to find firewood for cooking, but also to the development of subsistence farming. The gradual disappearance of forests in these often drier regions has a harmful impact on desertification and soil erosion.

Les actions de Planète Urgence sur le bassin du Congo et en Afrique

Mangroves to combat flooding

The city of Douala suffers from recurrent flooding. Large-scale mangrove restoration is an effective solution for protecting the coast while mitigating the impacts of climate change.

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Stronger forestry players

In Benin, Madagascar and Cameroon, Planète Urgence supports dozens of actors to make them more resilient and enable them to increase their impact.

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Children taking an active role in the environment

We can only protect what we know and love, so Planète Éducation’s projects put environmental issues back at the heart of education.

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Protected sacred forests

Benin is the cradle of voodooism and has 3,000 sacred forests under multiple pressures. Our actions protect these forests through restoration and economic and agricultural alternatives.

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