Brussels, 01/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 1 October, the European Commission announced that the European Union would be providing €47million of new funding to help protect forests in Honduras.
Jolita Butkeviciene, director for DG Development at the Commission and Jose-Trinidad Suazo, the Honduran minister for forestry were also expected to sign a financial agreement that day for the Eurofor project, worth €49.1 million, which focuses on improving forestry research and aggro-forestry.
With the participation of local forestry communities and civil society, the EU and Honduran authorities are hoping to kill two birds with one stone. The project is expected to help increase job opportunities and bolster food safety, as well as protecting biodiversity and helping in the fight against climate change. Forests are a form of carbon sink, due to their capacity at absorbing carbons.
Half of all surface area in Honduras is covered by forests and it has been identified as the third most climate change vulnerable country in the world and, unfortunately, holds the world record in being the most deforested country on the planet. (AN/transl.fl)