By BRYAN MEALER
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo - Leaders of seven Central African countries signed a landmark treaty on Saturday to work together to help save the world's second-largest rain forest.
French President Jacques Chirac attended the ceremony, which concluded a two-day summit focusing on threats to the great forests of the Congo Basin.
The forests make up very heart of Africa, encompassing 500 million acres stretching though 10 countries. They are also home to more than half Africa's animal species, including the world's entire population of lowland gorillas. Nearly 20 million people depend on the forests for food and shelter. But illegal logging, poaching, ivory trafficking and a rampant bushmeat trade are destroying the forests at alarming rate. Environmentalists say 3.7 million acres of land in the Congo Basin are lost each year.
"We are gathered here to ensure the preservation of a priceless heritage, the greatest wealth of the Congo Basin, the forest," said Chirac, addressing Brazzaville's parliament house, where giant colorful paintings of elephants, cheetahs and monkeys hung from the vaulted walls. "The protection of these forests cannot wait."
Chirac was in Brazzaville as part of a brief tour of the Republic of Congo and Senegal, both former French colonies.
Sitting alongside the French president were leaders from the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Sao Tome, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Chad and Central African Republic - which make up the bulk of the Congo Basin.
The treaty will make it easier for countries to jointly track and combat poachers, who easily slip across Africa's remote borders. It will also help provide funds for training and conservation, and harmonize laws in different countries that regulate logging.
The treaty is the long-fought result of a 1999 meeting between Central African leaders in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Environmental groups attending the summit hailed the treaty as a triumphant victory.
"You're finally seeing a commonality in what people are saying that was unthinkable 10 years ago," said Claude Martin, head of the World Wildlife Fund. "The leaders here are seeing how the exploitation of their forests will not contribute to their economies, poverty reduction and future prospects."