The UK has withdrawn tens of millions of pounds in funding from conservation projects protecting the Congo rainforest, the world's second-largest tropical forest after the Amazon. The withdrawal marks a reversal of British climate finance commitments to one of Africa's most biodiverse regions and a critical carbon sink.
The Congo Basin rainforest spans across six nations, with the Democratic Republic of Congo holding the largest share. The forest absorbs roughly 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, making it essential to global climate stability. Loss of forest cover in the region accelerates emissions while destroying habitat for endangered species including forest elephants, gorillas, and okapi.
British funding supported reforestation initiatives, anti-poaching operations, and indigenous community programs that depend on forest preservation for their livelihoods. The pullback reflects broader constraints on UK international climate finance, which has faced budget pressures following domestic economic challenges.
The timing compounds existing threats to Congo's forests. Logging expansion, agricultural conversion, and mining operations have accelerated deforestation across the basin in recent years. Satellite data from Global Forest Watch shows the DRC lost approximately 500,000 hectares of forest annually between 2015 and 2020. Without active protection measures, deforestation rates threaten to push the forest toward irreversible tipping points where carbon storage capacity collapses.
Environmental organizations have criticized the withdrawal as undermining the UK's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. The pullback also weakens support for conservation frameworks like REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), which compensates countries for protecting forests rather than clearing them.
The UK has pledged to strengthen international climate finance, including support for developing nations adapting to climate impacts. However, domestic budget constraints have forced reductions across multiple aid programs. Officials argue the withdrawal reflects fiscal pressures rather than a shift