Carbon Tanzania, a social enterprise dealing with protection of forests and carbon finance, has released its latest Impact Report for the year 2023, showcasing significant progress in both social and environmental areas. The full report can be accessed here.
In a year marked by impressive growth and impact, Carbon Tanzania has channeled over $6.9 million in revenue to forest communities through the voluntary carbon market.
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This revenue has empowered remote communities to manage their forest resources sustainably and invest in health, education, and critical security infrastructure for their people – resulting in the protection of habitat for some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife.
The impact on Tanzania’s biodiversity was equally impressive, with Carbon Tanzania projects in Yaeda-Eyasi, Makame and Ntakata protecting wildlife-rich forest habitat twice the size of Luxembourg, totalling 690,500 hectares. This conservation effort resulted in a reduction of 899,825 tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to removing almost 200,000 cars from the road for a year.
Exploring the social impact of forest conservation efforts
Underscoring its continued commitment to measuring social value, Carbon Tanzania conducted an extensive social impact assessment in the Yaeda Valley which sought to gain a detailed understanding of the social value of carbon revenues to the community.
Employing the rigorous Social Return on Investment approach, the assessment meticulously scrutinized the myriad ways in which carbon revenue translated into measurable social outcomes. The findings revealed a Net Present Value (value of the benefits relative to the costs of achieving those benefits) of over $8.6 million in social outcomes generated from carbon revenue.
With a Social Return on Investment of $25 for every $1 invested, alongside tangible benefits such as enhanced agriculture and livestock conditions, motivating continued community forest protection. Level’s social value tool will be deployed to measure social impact for Carbon Tanzania’s other projects during 2024.
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Commenting on the report, Marc Baker, Co-founder and CEO, Carbon Tanzania emphasized the organization’s holistic approach to conservation: “Our work extends beyond protecting forests; it’s about empowering communities, preserving biodiversity, and mitigating climate change. We believe that only by listening to and amplifying Indigenous voices and measuring social returns can we lay the foundation for an economic system that genuinely values the environment.”
Carbon Tanzania’s 2023 project highlights: empowering women and enhancing conservation
Carbon Tanzania’s projects in 2023 include the training and recruitment of five women in the Makame Savannah as Village Game Scouts which not only challenged gender stereotypes but also promoted inclusive conservation efforts.
In the Ntakata Mountains, revenue generated by carbon initiatives facilitated loans for 189 women, enabling them to establish conservation-aligned businesses. This initiative directly tackled historical barriers to financial access for women in the region. And in the Ruvuma Wilderness, project managers underwent training on a cutting-edge app tailored to community-led project activities – Cluey – enhancing local knowledge and project efficiency.
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