The world's three largest rainforest nations — Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Indonesia — formally launched a trilateral alliance to co-operate on forest preservation after a decade of on-off talks.
The three countries represent 52 per cent of the world's tropical rainforest.
Ministers from each country signed a joint statement during talks in Indonesia on November 14, ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) summit, which began on November 15.
"South-to-south cooperation — Brazil, Indonesia, DRC — is very natural," the Democratic Republic of Congo's Environment Minister, Eve Bazaiba, said prior to the signing.
"We have the same challenges, the same opportunity to be the solution to climate change."
What does the alliance involve?
In August, Reuters reported that Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was elected at the end of October, would seek a partnership with the two other leading rainforest nations to pressure the rich world to finance forest conservation.
The recently-signed agreement stated that countries should be paid for:
- Reducing deforestation
- Maintaining forests as carbon sinks
The countries will also work to negotiate "a new sustainable funding mechanism" to help developing countries preserve their biodiversity.
It also aims to increase funding through the United Nations REDD+ program for reducing deforestation.
The rapid destruction of rainforests, which through their dense vegetation serve as carbon sinks, releases planet-warming carbon dioxide, jeopardising global climate targets.
Regrowing previously deforested jungle has the benefit of removing greenhouse gas already in the atmosphere.
Without the Amazon, 'we cannot have climate security'
The G20 talks coincide with the second and final week of the COP27 United Nations climate summit in Egypt, where Mr Lula's environmental adviser Izabella Teixeira said Brazil would seek to get the involvement of other countries in the Amazon basin, which spans nine nations.
"Forests matter, nature matters," said Ms Teixeira, who was environment minister under Mr Lula during his previous term as president that ended in 2010.
"I do believe that without Amazon protection, we cannot have climate security."
"I believe that Brazil should promote that other countries should come together."
Talks on the alliance to protect rainforest until now had foundered due to "institutional difficulties", Teixeira said.
The joint statement cited a meeting of the three countries at last year's climate summit in Glasgow that injected momentum into the talks.
They have reached fruition in the final weeks of the right-wing presidency of Jair Bolsonaro before Mr Lula takes office on January 1, 2023.
ABC/Reuters
