Carbon Credits Generate $7 Million for African Wildlife Conservation
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📰 The quick summary: African Parks has generated over $7 million from carbon credit sales in protected areas, supporting conservation of endangered wildlife while also mitigating climate change.
📈 One key stat: More than one million tons of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented between 2021 and 2024 through the Chinko project, equivalent to Sierra Leone’s annual emissions.
💬 One key quote: “Since both are REDD+ projects, they rely on the results from the reduction of threats that could affect the integrity of the protected areas, including overgrazing and slash-and-burn agriculture in Benin, and artisanal mining, livestock overgrazing and slash-and-burn agriculture in Central African Republic.”
1️⃣ The big picture: African Parks, a conservation nonprofit, has successfully raised over $7 million through carbon credit sales from Chinko National Park in the Central African Republic, plus an additional undisclosed amount from Benin’s Pendjari and W national parks. These REDD+ projects, developed with Swiss climate consultancy South Pole and certified by Verra, generate credits by protecting forests and savannah grasslands from threats like farming encroachment, overgrazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture. The funds directly support conservation management in these protected areas, which serve as crucial habitats for endangered species including West Africa’s last elephants, lions, chimpanzees, and African wild dogs. Carbon credit programs like these create financial incentives for conservation while simultaneously addressing climate change.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: The carbon credit sales create a sustainable funding mechanism for ongoing conservation efforts in regions with rich biodiversity but limited resources. By preventing deforestation and habitat degradation, these projects protect critical populations of endangered wildlife including elephants, lions, chimpanzees, and African wild dogs. The carbon savings achieved are substantial – over one million tons of carbon 2 emissions prevented in a three-year period at Chinko alone. This market-based approach aligns economic incentives with conservation goals, demonstrating how climate finance can directly support biodiversity protection. These projects represent a dual win for the planet by simultaneously addressing both climate change and biodiversity loss.
3️⃣ What’s next: African Parks can expand this funding model to other protected areas in their network across Africa. Additional verification and monitoring will be necessary to ensure continued carbon credit certification, especially in conflict regions. The organization must also balance conservation with community needs in areas experiencing violence and tension with local herders.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – African Parks earns over $7 million from carbon credit sales in Benin and CAR
