The Congo Basin rainforest spans 500 million acres across six African nations. Known as the second lung of the planet, it absorbs nearly 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, making it as important in regulating global climate change as the Amazon. It is also home to more than 130 million people and more than 400 mammal species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Without the Congo Basin rainforest, the world has no chance of meeting global targets to limit temperature rise and reverse biodiversity loss. While the entire world depends on the Congo Basin rainforest as a carbon sink, people across several countries rely on the forests as a source of food, freshwater, and economic opportunities. As managers of this vital ecosystem, they hold the keys to our global destiny.
For conservation to succeed, the communities of the Congo Basin need to be strong and resilient. Taking their lead, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) empowers communities to safeguard nature while investing in their livelihoods. Their ability to thrive at a local scale underpins human well-being at a global scale.
We are urging leaders to invest in:
- Putting people, like those living in and around the Congo Basin rainforest, at the center of conservation solutions.
- Committing to financing conservation in ways that channel resources to people on the front lines of protecting, restoring, and sustaining vital natural resources that have value to us all.
- Elevating nature as an essential climate change solution.
The world needs the Congo Basin rainforest to meet global targets to limit temperature rise and reverse biodiversity loss. Add your name to join AWF and ensure that Earth's second lung delivers for people and nature.
