The Executive Secretariat of the Central African Forest Commission (or Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale - COMIFAC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of Target 3 of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
WCS and COMIFAC signed the new partnership agreement last week to support Congo Basin countries in meeting Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to effectively conserve and equitably govern 30 percent of marine and terrestrial areas. This marks the first such Basin-wide partnership between the two organizations and reflects a renewed commitment of Congo Basin countries in delivering nature-based solutions to the combined threat of biodiversity loss and climate change, for the benefit of nature, people, and the planet.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Three Basins Summit, hosted by the Republic of Congo in Brazzaville. The Summit brought together representatives from the world’s three tropical forested basins: the Amazon, the Congo, and Borneo-Mekong-South-East Asia. These three basins account for 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity and play a vital role in regulation of global climate and the global carbon flux. A central premise of the Summit is that these three basins should thus capture 80 percent of the existing and future financial mobilization announced at COP 27 for climate, and COP 15 for biodiversity.
The agreement between WCS and COMIFAC is for an initial four years and will focus on supporting implementation of Target 3 under the framework of COMIFAC’s convergence plan. Thematic areas of the agreement include conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, training and capacity-building, research, awareness-raising, and the participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
“The implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework requires an effective partnership between the private sector, governments, donors, civil society and academia to achieve its ambitious goals and targets,” said Michel Masozera, Director of Policy and Partnerships for WCS in Africa. “Target 3 specifically calls for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ rights and responsibilities, their contributions, and roles in biodiversity conservation. This is very critical for effective conservation and management of protected areas and other effective conservation measures in the context of Central Africa Region. This Memorandum of Understanding will support not only the Global Biodiversity Framework for Central Africa, but also the COMIFAC Convergence Plan and the WCS 30x30 strategy.”
Added Chouaibou Nchoutpouen, Deputy Executive Secretary and Technical Coordinator of COMIFAC: “It is essential to achieve, by 2030, effective protection and management of at least 30 percent of terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine areas, in areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, through ecologically significant systems of protected areas. This agreement will enable us to align ourselves with Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other effective conservation measures.”
The countries of the COMIFAC region are attracting increasing attention regarding climate and biodiversity issues. The Three Basins Summit and the recent Conferences of the Parties on climate clearly demonstrate that the Congo Basin plays an ever-important role in negotiations on these major issues. The world’s second largest tropical forest after the Amazon is also the only remaining net tropical carbon sink, absorbing more carbon than it emits. This spotlight on Central Africa and the Congo Basin will again be on the agenda at the next Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, to be held in Dubai at the end of 2023.