Forest protection in Northern Zimbabwe

Update

At Ecologi we are committed to continuously improving our due diligence processes and the standards we set for the projects we support. This means that whilst project pages like this one are still available for transparency, occasionally projects which we historically supported – including this one – no longer meet our increasing standards for receiving funding. The last time we supported this project was in March 2021.

Context

Historically, large parts of Zimbabwe were covered by forests with abundant and diverse wildlife. As a richly biodiverse country featuring seven terrestrial eco-regions, 12.5% of the total land area of Zimbabwe is protected within its many National Parks, sanctuaries, and botanical gardens.

In recent decades though, more than a third of Zimbabwe’s forests have been lost. The causes of deforestation here are primarily socio-economic, such as subsistence agriculture, urban expansion, poaching and collecting firewood – all exacerbated by political and economic turbulence in recent years. This project is located on the shores of Lake Kariba, the largest human-made lake in the world, in northern Zimbabwe.

Project

The Kariba REDD+ Project protects almost 785,000 hectares of forests and wildlife on the southern shores of Lake Kariba, near the Zimbabwe-Zambia border.

One of the largest registered REDD+ projects by area, it acts as a giant biodiversity corridor that connects four national parks and eight safari reserves, protecting an expansive forest and numerous vulnerable and endangered species – including the African elephant, lion, hippopotamus and southern ground hornbill.

Kariba REDD+ is a community-based project, administered by the four local Rural District Councils (RDCs) of Binga, Nyaminyami, Hurungwe and Mbire, and has achieved Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) certification.

This means that the project supports a range of activities beyond simply environmental protection, including promoting the independence and wellbeing of the local communities. Improved clinic amenities provide better healthcare, infrastructure including new roads and water boreholes improve daily life, and school subsidies are offered to the poorest quartile of the population. Project activities in conservation agriculture, community gardens, beekeeping training, fire management, and ecotourism create jobs and facilitate sustainable incomes, benefitting the entire region.

Verification

Climate solution #38

Forest Protection

In their biomass and soil, forests are powerful carbon storehouses. Protection prevents emissions from deforestation, shields that carbon, and enables ongoing carbon sequestration.

In 2015, there were an estimated three trillion trees in the world. That count is substantially higher than previously thought, but more than 15 billion are cut down each year. Since humans began farming, the number of trees on earth has fallen by 46 percent. Carbon emissions from deforestation and associated land use change are estimated to be 10 to 15 percent of the world’s total.

The benefits of forest conservation include biodiversity protection, non-timber products, erosion control, pollination, ecotourism and other ecosystem services.

From drawdown.org

Photos

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The 'Kariba REDD+' project aligns with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Rethink how we grow, share and consume our food. We can provide nutritious food for all.
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality education.
Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.
Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.
Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.