Africa’s Largest Pay-for-Performance Initiative To Save Its Forests
by Sangeeta Haindl
Forests have a critical role as carbon stores. They influence water, climate and weather systems. They build countries’ resilience to extreme weather events and help people adapt to a changing climate. Around 1.2 billion poor people directly depend on forests for their livelihoods. Forests are also home to an estimated 80 percent of the world’s species. Taking action to preserve these landscapes, the U.K. government has set up the International Climate Fund (ICF) to provide £3.87 billion between April 2011 and March 2016 to help the world’s poorest adapt to climate change and promote cleaner, greener growth. One country needing this financial aid is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It believes that it has a responsibility to protect its forests for the benefit of humanity, yet as a developing nation, it needs a partnership with industrialised nations to help provide the financial support.
So, this May at the Houses of Parliament, His Excellency Bavon N'sa Mputu Elima, Minister of Environment, Conservation of Nature and Tourism for the DRC, announced that this region of Africa is embarking on a massive green development program, which will be financed by the sale of emissions reductions that will be earned when the scheme succeeds in striking reductions of deforestation. This is Africa’s largest pay-for-performance initiative to capture the natural value of standing forests and is very significant, as nothing like it has been attempted before.
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Sangeeta Haindl enjoys being a staff writer for 3BL Media/Justmeans on topics - Social Innovation, Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurs. When she is not writing for 3BL Media/Justmeans, she wears her other hat as owner of Serendipity PR. Over the years she has worked with high-profile, big, powerful brands and organisations within the public, not-for-profit and corporate sectors; and won awards from her industry. She believes in the power of serendipity for business and superheroes. She also is a Twitter lover and believes that social media is a digital constellation:connecting people in an easily explored galaxy. She would also describe herself as a Spiritual Entrepreneur, Conscious Explorer and Futurist. She enjoys helping others, paying it forward and being a mum.
