REDD+: The new frontier of conservation finance in Africa

REDD+ | ZAMBIA REDD+: The new frontier of conservation finance in Africa

[WRITER: Chloe Lee Evans ]

[PHOTOS: Edward Selfe Photography, BioCarbon Partners ]

As a result of us being in the midst of a global pandemic, Zambia’s economy is estimated to have contracted by 1.2% and thousands of jobs have been lost. There is one sector however that has demonstrated resilience and durability, and that is REDD+.

Under BCP’s (BioCarbon Partners) REDD+ benefit sharing mechanism, the LCFP (Luangwa Community Forests Project) is paving the way as the future of sustainable development, conservation finance and climate mitigation, and has injected a direct cash payment of $4.76 million dollars into 12 Chiefdoms in Zambia’s Eastern Province in the space of just nine months. The revenue generated entirely from forest carbon fees is bringing lifechanging benefits to the lives of over 217,000 people across 36,000 households in Zambia’s Luangwa to Lower Zambezi Valleys.

When forests thrive, they absorb carbon dioxide and slow down climate change. When communities see the financial benefits of preserving forests they can directly contribute to the well-being and protection of Zambian forests and wildlife. Together with Zambian Government and community partners, BCP is creating an income generating model that sees people, biodiversity and climate action prosper. There are few other industries that can walk such a fragile line and succeed in doing so. Poverty in Eastern Province affects an estimated 74% of the population. A 2020 independent report found that the average household income in LCFP increased by 171% over a period of five years since 2015, and has created a minimum of 990 employment opportunities for individual community members through community investment and projects created as a result of carbon revenues.

“We have used the revenue from the forest carbon fees to invest in infrastructure projects, such as Sandwe Primary School, which was dilapidated but is now renovated, and has seen increased enrolment, especially among female students. It has changed the mind-set of the community members and brought with it a new-found respect for the forest”.

His Royal Highness, Chief Sandwe.

The LCFP falls within one of the last ten remaining wildlife legacy landscapes on the planet, and the wildlife corridor that falls within the LCFP is supporting a thriving ecosystem that includes lion, wild dog, elephant, and leopard. The LCFP supports the employment of 178 community scouts in the ecosystem, supported by two aircraft to protect the wildlife habitat. The largest REDD+ project in Africa by hectares, the LCFP is protecting over 514 million trees across a total of almost one million hectares. Additionally it is the largest REDD+ project in the world by community members benefitting.

“As we see the world awaken to the serious need for climate action, BCP’s goal is, together with its community partners and Zambian Government, to emerge from this trying time in our generation’s history as a strong and reliable conservation partner for the global community to partner with on a journey of ecosystem restoration.”

Dr. Hassan Sachedina, BCP CEO.

To find out more about BCP, and to partner with us on our ambitious journey to benefit millions of people and to help conserve the greatest biodiversity landscapes in Africa please contact us at: info@biocarbonpartners.com