The Luangwa Community Forests Project aims to protect the region's threatened biodiversity and the precious natural habitats and migration corridors of animals along the Zambesi, while improving the living conditions of local communities
Forests, through their rich biodiversity, provide benefits to communities whose livelihoods depend on them. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Aichi Biodiversity Targets accept that reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) provides a positive mitigation strategy for climate change. Additionally, conservation and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks create mechanisms for payments to developing countries.
Deforestation and forest degradation account for an estimated 15% of the world´s CO2 emissions and are a significant contributor to climate change. Zambia has the highest level of deforestation by landcover in Africa per year and loses just under 300,000 hectares of trees to unsustainable farming techniques and charcoal production annually. Deforestation in Zambia further exacerbates the loss of already threatened biodiversity and wildlife species. Recent UN reports highlight that one million species of wildlife and one third of tropical African plants face extinction, in large part due to deforestation and climate change.
Founded in 2012, BioCarbon Partners (BCP)´s mission is to make conservation of wildlife habitat valuable to people. Under the UN REDD+ framework, BCP develops forest carbon offset projects in areas of global biodiversity significance. The business model works with community and government partners to protect forests by investing in communities, forest management and carbon science. Projects are verified by international standards to produce carbon credits that can be sold to bring livelihood benefits to the local communities by protecting forests, valuable habitat and migration corridors.