Doha — The Strategic Plan on the Initiative for the Maiombe Cross-border Zone was launched on Tuesday, in Doha, Qatar, during a ceremony chaired by the Angolan minister of Environment, Fátima Jardim, Angop learned.

The initiative took place on the fringes of the 18th United Nations Conference on Climatic Changes (COP-18) and of the 8th Kyoto Protocol Conference (CMP-8), witnessed by the State secretary of Energy, José Ventura.

The event was also witnessed by the , the chancellor of the Agostinho Neto University (UAN), Orlando da Mata, including members of ministerial delegations of Congo Brazzaville and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Maiombe Zone coordinator, Angolan Agostinho Chicaia, said that the strategic plan provides the sustainable development of forests ecosystems, providing conditions for protection of the bio-diversity, with a view to assuring co-operation, social and economic development and stability of the region.

Agostinho Chicaia warned on the ongoing degradation of the zone ecosystem, due to poor protection, at a time the populations have as source of survival such activities as agriculture, fishing and wood cutting, among others caused by serious environmental impact.

Created in April 2009, the Maiombe Zone comprises parts of the forests of the same name in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Congo Brazzaville.