Big donors to unblock $500 million in aid for tropical forests - France

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Big international donors will unblock an additional $500 million (£402.5 million) in aid for the protection of tropical forests, including the Amazon where wildfires are raging, a French presidency official said on Monday.

France will contribute $100 million to this package, the Elysee Palace official said from the sidelines of a U.N. Climate Summit in New York.

(Reporting by Marine Pennetier and John Irish; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Richard Lough)