As the first week of the UN climate negotiations in Durban draw to a close, support for protecting one of biggest assets in the fight against climate change has come from an unexpected place. Today the President of Sierra Leone is stepping up for tropical forests and helping in the fight against climate change by launching Gola Rainforest as a National Park.
Gola Rainforest is one of the last remaining remnants of tropical forest in Sierra Leone and is our second flagship tropical forest project. We've been working closely on it with the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone and the Government of Sierra Leone. This 71,000 hectare site (that's an area roughly twice the size of the Isle of Wight) is home to some amazing wildlife, including chimpanzees, pygymy hippos and rufous fishing owls. But it's not just good for the wildlife, it's good for the climate too. Tropical forests are important as they act as carbon stores, taking in carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and looking the carbon in. By protecting Gola Rainforest and keeping it standing, it's preventing the same amount of carbon as the amount of greenhouse gases produced by nearly 14 millions cars in a year being released into the atmosphere!
So here's to you Mr President and to all the others involved in protecting Gola and other tropical forests around the world. Here's hoping the delegates at the UN negotiations stand up, take notice and follow suit.