Making Carbon Neutrality Meaningful

Based in the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, the Neema programme works to preserve biodiversity while developing a sustainable local economy. We’re supporting this project through EcoAct, and its main aim is to protect the area from deforestation and forest degradation by extending agriculture in this arid region by planting jojoba trees, which are prized by the cosmetics industry for their oil. The project has developed local activities to turn the oil into products that can be sold both nationally and internationally, creating jobs and supporting local farmers in the process. Fruit trees are also planted to produce mango. avocado and lemon, extending the range of agroforestry activities and additional revenues to the local communities.

In the Para region in Brazil, we’re supporting an EcoAct project that aims at protecting part of the Amazonian forest from illegal logging by providing land tenure certificates to the native community “the Ribeirinhos” while training them to sustainable agroforestry practices. The project offers to beneficiary households agroforestry training programs for planting and farming Cassava, Capuacu, Pitaya and other fruits. A way to restore the bond between the Ribeirinhos and their surrounding ecosystem while providing economic opportunities to improve their standard of living.

In the Alto Huayabamba Conservation Concession (CCAH) in Peru, we’re supporting a South Pole project that is protecting two distinct forested ecosystems: the Paramos and the Peruvian Yungas. At the same time, the project works with local families to improve their livelihoods through teaching sustainable agricultural practices. Dedicated training and technical know-how support farmers to become more productive while cutting their costs. Honey and quinoa production are central to this project, which has formed associations for producers of each of these products and trained numerous residents in how to produce them.

The Congo Basin– in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s most important remaining wilderness areas. For this reason, we’re supporting South Pole’s Isangi Forest Protection project, which is protecting part of this rich landscape from logging and being cleared for unsustainable agriculture. One way the project is achieving this is by promoting sustainable agricultural practices. As well as planting coffee and cocoa trees and disease-resistant crops, the project runs workshops for local people, introducing them to sustainable farming techniques such as intercropping, soil improvement and no-burn farming. By also providing assistance with access to markets and animal husbandry, the project supports people to produce an economically viable harvest that doesn’t come at the expense of the forest.

We are supporting the COMACO Landscape Management Project in Zambia, which promotes sustainable land use and forest conservation for rural development. Spanning five districts in the Eastern Province of Zambia, this project has seen 7,372 hectares of land converted to sustainable farming practices, increasing the productivity of smallholder farms in a way that doesn’t harm the environment. As well as reducing harmful practices such as residue burning, the project also protects a further 116,000 hectares from unplanned deforestation by creating Community Conservation Areas and promoting sustainable, non-extractive forest use, such as producing honey and growing mushrooms.