Religious and indigenous leaders urge better protection of forests

Metropolitan Emmanuel (R) of the Orthodox Church gives a speech during a meeting with religious leaders on ways to protect tropical rainforests from threats in Oslo, Norway June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Alister Doyle

OSLO (Reuters) - Religious and indigenous leaders appealed on Monday for better protection of tropical forests from the Amazon to the Congo basin, with a Vatican bishop likening current losses to a collective suicide by humanity.

Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Daoist representatives met indigenous peoples in Oslo to explore moral and ethical arguments to shield forests that are under threat from logging and land clearance for farms.