Ed Royce: “earlier this year the Africa subcommittee that I chair held a hearing on the Congo Basin Foreign Partnership, and this…”

“earlier this year the Africa subcommittee that I chair held a hearing on the Congo Basin Foreign Partnership, and this is an innovative international approach to the conservation of forests and wildlife in Central Africa. This plan was first unveiled by our Secretary of State Powell last fall, and the initiative is designed to combat illegal logging through better forest management and local economic empowerment. Of course, these forests play a critical role in sustaining the environment. They absorb carbon dioxide, they cleanse the water, they hold the soil. Their plants and animals are invaluable for so many reasons, including their genetic and biochemical information, which could spark advances in medical, agricultural, and industrial technology. Ten years ago, those forests in Africa were virtually untouched. Today, logging operations are shrinking these forests. One estimate has logging taking out Congo basin forest area at a rate of twice the size of Rhode Island each and every year. If current deforestation and wildlife depletion rates are not reversed world wide, the world will pay an incalculable environmental and social price and incalculable cultural price as well. This is the beginning of real commitment to conservation in Africa. That is what we are seeing with the Peace Parks Foundation, which deserves our support and deserves our encouragement. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.”