Norway: $16.6m to combat illegal deforestation

Norway has pledged 145 million kroner ($16.6m) to an international partnership to combat illegal deforestation and help reach Paris climate accord goals.

Climate and Environment Minister Ola Elvestuen says deforestation is a multi-million business for criminals that cut down "invaluable tropical forests", adding "their activities have detrimental consequences for sustainable development in rainforest nations and the global climate".

He says "halting and reversing land degradation and tropical deforestation could provide up to 30% of the climate change solution".

Elvestuen said on Wednesday at a conference that the partnership includes Interpol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and a UN-supported center combatting illegal deforestation, known as the RHIPTO-Norwegian Centre for Global Analyses.

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