SAN FRANCISCO - September 2 - With growing US involvement and investment in Africa's commercial development, Rainforest Action Network has launched a new campaign to monitor threats to the last remaining ancient rainforests there. This is the first US-based campaign to focus specifically on African rainforest issues.

The campaign's first rainforest hotspot is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -formerly Zaire-where the escalating political crisis has put the future of the region's rainforests in jeopardy. DRC contains half of Africa's intact tropical forest, and one eighth of what remains on the planet in total.

When fighting in DRC finally subsides, there will be tremendous pressure to repay foreign debts by quickly selling-off the country's vast natural resources in order to secure foreign capital. When timber and mineral resources play-out the ecosystem is left devastated, and the forest-dwelling peoples-in the Congo Basin, the Baaka, Bakola and other pygmy peoples-are dislocated from their traditional way of life.

"Rainforest Action Network will work to support the efforts of existing groups both in Africa and internationally that recognize the unique value of Africa's tropical forests," said Africa Campaign Director Erick Brownstein: "Additionally, we will encourage first world nations to forgive DRC debts in order to allow the country to implement integrated environmental and social policies rather than follow the environmentally destructive path taken by so many less-industrialized countries."

The present conflict in DRC has put infrastructure development plans on hold, giving the rainforests a reprieve from commercial development. US-based companies have, until recently, been identifying potential mining sites in the rainforest and infrastructure projects to service them, including the building of roads. Roads into the rainforest open access for industrial logging and bushmeat hunting, which threaten the integrity of the rainforest ecosystem and push populations of gorillas and elephants into extinction.

"When the fighting in DRC stops," added RAN's Brownstein, "we hope to see a democratically elected government in place that will respect the rights of indigenous and forest-dependent peoples, and will insure the stewardship of the country's vast - and irreplaceable - rainforests."

Rainforest Action Network works to protect the Earth's rainforests and support the rights of their inhabitants through education, grassroots organizing and non-violent direct action. RAN's Africa Campaign is funded as part of a $1-million grant from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.

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