World Wildlife Fund

Great Movement on Bill to Protect Tropical Forests
and Coral Reefs

Join WWF's Conservation Action Network and be a part of future victories.

Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Bill Makes Significant Progress

A bill to protect tropical forests and coral reefs was passed by the full House of Representatives in October 2007. A similar bill was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September 2007.

Our hope is that the full Senate will take up the bill in November. If the bill doesn't pass before Congress adjourns, it will need to be reintroduced after Congress reconvenes in January 2009. The tremendous progress that the measure made in 2008 would likely help it to move quickly in 2009. WWF thanks all the activists who spoke out for this important legislation.

What the Bill Would Do

The Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act would provide funding for debt-for-nature swaps which contribute to the protection of forests and coral reefs in qualified developing countries. Debt-for-nature swaps, which WWF helped pioneer in the 1980s, involve purchasing foreign debt at a discount, converting the debt into local currency, and using the proceeds to finance local conservation activities. It’s an innovative technique that allows cash-strapped countries to protect globally important natural resources.

An earlier version of the bill, which did not include coral reef conservation, was enacted in 1998 and has been tremendously successful. Tens of millions of dollars have been channeled into tropical forest conservation, protecting millions of acres and countless tropical forest species. WWF activists successfully pushed for reauthorization of the bill in 2004, sending 30,000 letters to Congress.

WWF strongly supports expanding the legislation to include the protection of coral reefs. Reefs host a variety of vital sea species and are key to the health of the world’s oceans, yet they face some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges -- from climate change to destructive fishing practices. 
 
What's at Stake

Protecting tropical forests and coral reefs is critical to addressing climate change, maintaining species diversity, developing life-saving drugs, and establishing more sustainable local economies.

Tropical rain forests are immensely valuable. More than 50 percent of the world’s terrestrial species are found in tropical forests and over 2,000 tropical forest plants have been identified by scientists as having anti-cancer properties. Yet these special forests are being felled at staggering rates. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 25.7 million acres of tropical forest were permanently destroyed each year in the period from 2000 to 2005.

Coral reefs are often called the “rainforests of the sea.” The rate at which we are losing them is alarming. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 60 percent of the world's coral reefs may be destroyed by the year 2050 if the present rate of degradation continues. With Indonesia recently declared eligible for assistance, the passage of the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act would help ensure that funds could be used to protect the important reefs there and in other nearby “Coral Triangle” countries. 

Learn More

The Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act 

Debt-for-nature swaps

WWF's work to conserve our planet's vital marine environments 
 
Past alerts

Tropical Forests and Coral Reefs Need Your Help - 7/24/2008
Speak Out for Tropical Forests - 9/15/2004