Preventing Deforestation and Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods amongst Rural Communities

In light of the global warming; unsustainable livelihoods and increasing poverty amongst poor rural communities and biodiversity loss; the PAMS Foundation is currently seeking funds to implement a 'Community Run Critical Ecosystems Conservation Programme'. This Programme would be a REDD initiative and aim to make use of carbon credits as an incentive to limit woodland deforestation, limit burning and promote reforestation in southern Tanzania. Preventing and limiting deforestation and injudicious burning will contribute significantly to carbon sequestration. In doing so, it is estimated that carbon credits to the value of 8-10 US$ per hectare may be obtained through the Voluntary Carbon Market, with payment received on an ongoing basis for 20 years. This in turn will go to the communities living there and help to facilitate: the sustainable utilisation of the forest; poverty alleviation; and mitigate climate change, especially since it is estimated that land use change, primarily forest loss and degradation, contributes close to 20 per cent of the overall anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.