In Africa, achieving long-term conservation requires the often-competing demands of wildlife defense, pastoralism, agricultural industry, energy use, and forest protection. Nowhere is this truer than in Central Tanzania. And, with climate change predicted to impact Africa more than any other continent, it is imperative that we address these factors sooner rather than later.
With this in mind, AWF launched a Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) pilot project in the Kolo Hills Forests in Tanzania, with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The Kolo Hills REDD+ project aims to lessen the impacts of climate change by reducing emissions from land-use change, strengthening farmers’ resilience to climate change, and securing local water sources.
AWF is working with small-land farmers from 21 different villages to manage some 42,000 hectares of semiarid forest. This is being done in part through land-use planning to ensure agricultural productivity and sustainable, long-term development. The project aims to save 125,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually from avoided deforestation and forest degradation.
Because the deforestation is caused largely by agriculture, AWF provided more than 170 farmers with improved seed, fertilizer, and training in profitable conservation-farming techniques—which resulted in an eightfold increase in agricultural production—from 300 kilograms/acre to 2,400 kilograms/acre of maize output—in 2011.
Meanwhile, 10 villages have completed land-use planning, and thanks to this project, villagers are reporting a stronger understanding of their environment and the need to protect forests.
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