Somalilandsun:The newly released Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project video shows how a community of 120,000 people have stopped deforestation for the benefit of all.
Each year more than 35M acres of forest, storing centuries of carbon, burn and release more than 7 billion tonnes of emissions. This is a leading cause of the climate crisis and the catastrophic effects are advancing, exponential and irreversible.
There is wide scientific consensus that we will not solve the climate crisis without dramatically slowing down the destruction of forests. Billions of people are on a clear path toward living under inhospitable conditions if immediate action isn’t taken.
REDD+ is an acronym for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, a climate change mitigation strategy envisioned by the United Nations. The aim is to address the climate crisis by protecting highly threatened forests, giving value to living trees.
The vital role of intact forests to reduce carbon emissions is undisputed. Trees absorb CO2 and give us the oxygen we breathe. Not only does keeping a forest standing stabilize the climate, it also serves to protect biodiversity.
REDD+ is the most effective, lowest cost and immediate action we can take right now to combat the climate and biodiversity crises.
REDD+ is a market-based solution to conserve forests based on a “pay for performance” business model. The performance is represented in Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) more commonly referred to as carbon credits or carbon offsets. Each VER corresponds to one tonne of CO2e avoided from being released into the atmosphere.
In 2011 the Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya became the first verified REDD+ project in the world.
Wildlife Works’ holistic approach to conservation, is rooted in sustainable community development. Through the REDD+ project plan and community support, forests are conserved, biodiversity is protected and communities receive benefits aligned with the UN sustainable development goals.
The 500,000+ acre Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project area stores 104 million tonnes of CO2e and avoids the release of approximately 1.5 million tons of CO2e each year.
More than 6,000 community landowners and the entire Kasigau community of 120,000 people receive direct and indirect life changing benefits. Today Wildlife Works employs over 350 local people, making this REDD+ project the second largest employer in the county.
Deforestation is an economic problem. To change the destructive path, Wildlife Works has introduced sustainable economic alternatives, that benefit the community. Job creation is a core conservation strategy at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project.
Jobs include; rangers, teachers, greenhouse operations, plot sampler’s, mechanics, carpenters, welders, administrators, scientists, tailors, cooks, crafts workers, community outreach personnel and more. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is demonstrated throughout the project with ever increasing leadership and job opportunities for women.
Through the decade-long success of the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, it is clear that REDD+ is working to protect the forest and its wildlife while improving conditions for the community. See how REDD+ is working in Kenya: Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project
About Everland
Everland represents the world’s largest portfolio of high-impact, REDD+ that are focused on stopping deforestation.
These are projects where the local community is directly involved in protecting their forest, for their own benefit.
When the projects prove they have successfully stopped deforestation, they generate VERs that are sold to corporations who choose to voluntarily offset their unavoidable emissions.
The projects Everland represents help local landowners in the developing world monetize their forest and biodiversity assets whether they are governments, communities, ownership groups, or private individuals
