Papua New Guinea saves rainforest for tree kangaroos

A bid to save the rainforest for the creatures that live in it has been launched by Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The tropical country has created a 76,000-hectare preserve the size of Singapore in order to protect the rainforest habitat of the tree kangaroo.

In exchange for preserving the area, the Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Programme will improve the access to education and improve community health within the villages.

Conservation International was also involved in the project.

The organisations president Russell A Mittermeir said: "Congratulations to Papua New Guinea and the communities of the YUS region for protecting such essential ecosystems and all the benefits they provide.

"Hopefully, other tropical forest nations will follow this example of simultaneously combating climate change and conserving the ecosystems on which people depend, and the international community will embrace a climate change treaty that compensates the carbon sequestration value of such protected forests."

Saving the rainforest helps the wildlife and the communities that live in it as well as helping combat climate change.

Rainforests absorb carbon dioxide, one of the gases that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere raising the global temperature.

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