Five Congo River states--the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon--agreed with donor states on a plan to protect the tropical forests in the Congo River basin. The Congo River basin is the world's second largest after the Amazon. The project aims to reduce illegal logging and burning in forests in order to protect endangered species such as gorillas and bonobos. This could also contribute to more stable farming conditions for locals. The basin countries hope that the plan will reduce emissions as well as strengthen efforts towards sustainable development and poverty reduction. The agreement comes in anticipation of the United Nations’ summit on climate change in Paris this coming December. England, the European Union, Germany, France and Norway have agreed to financially support the plan. Brazil, as the largest Amazon basin state, is serving as an advisor to the project. For the full story, see http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/29/us-climatechange-forests-idUKKCN0RT2WO20150929