Gabon has become the first African country to receive payments for reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation.
The country will receive its first sum from the Central African Forest Initiative, which has promised about $150 million over 10 years.
Gabon has one of the largest forests in the world and recent studies show that it is more resilient to climate change than even the Amazon forest. This is because the country has done a lot of work to get to where it is today by protecting its forest.
The Government recently joined forces with the global Environment Investigation Agency to trace illegal logging and poor harvesting of timber which is the primary source of the country’s forest emissions.
Authorities say the first payment of 17 million Dollars will go towards preserving the country’s forests.