Good news for African communities

European Parliament passes anti-deforestation law, protecting Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and the rich biodiversity of the Congo Basin

Yaoundé/Kinshasa 20-09-2022 – The European Parliament passed a law on Tuesday, 13th September banning the import of deforestation products into the European Union. A large majority of MEPs supported the proposal, which Greenpeace campaigned for internationally.

With the adoption of this new law, it will no longer be possible to import products from now on into the European Union, should they be derived from deforestation. The law, which initially included palm oil, soya, coffee, wood, etc., has been extended to include rubber.

This is a victory for Greenpeace Africa and several other civil society organisations that had campaigned for the adoption of this law, but especially for local communities and indigenous peoples in the Congo Basin, who are suffering from massive deforestation by the rubber industry.

“In August 2021, we organised a peaceful demonstration in front of the European Union headquarters in Cameroon to demand that rubber be included in the list of commodities to be included in the law. The consideration of this request is a victory for indigenous people whose well-being is constantly violated by agribusinesses for the benefit of the cultivation of the said products,” said Ranece Jovial Ndjeudja, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa. “Greenpeace Africa hopes that the European Union will also consider a law opposing the financial facilities that are granted to agribusinesses by European banks,” he added.

This law is urgently needed,as it is passed at a time when, in Southern Cameroon, rubber company Sudcam has destroyed just over 11,000 ha of forest for its plantation and palm oil company Camvert continues to clear 40,000 ha of forest for its plantation, both done with total disregard for the disastrous impacts on the lives of local indigenous communities and biodiversity. “Greenpeace Africa calls world leaders, who are set to meet at major events to address climate change, to make decisions that prioritise the well-being of communities and the planet,” concluded Ranece Jovial Ndjeudja.

Greenpeace Africa Newsdesk: [email protected] Luchelle Feukeng
Communications Officer, Greenpeace Africa
Email: [email protected], +237 656463545 (WhatsApp)