Yesterday (March 21), was International Forests Day, an effort by the U.N. to celebrate and protect woodlands and trees around the world.
In honor of the day, we looked at the three most threatened forests in Africa. One was the Central African Forest, also known as the Congo Basin Forest. It covers areas in Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.
The Forest is the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest and covers 145 million hectares, which is 20% of the world’s tropical forests. It plays an important role in global climate stability and biodiversity protection, including that of the endangered bonobo (human’s closest relative).
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Years of war and resource exploitation through corruption and flawed law enforcement in the region has led to uncontrolled industrial logging which threatens the vitality of the rainforest.
The destruction of the Central African Forest means doom for the world and in this powerful video below, Beninese actor and model, Djimon Hounsou, narrates the current crisis and its implication for humanity.
Watch now: The Central African Forests: Key to a Cooler Future for All of US
