Kasigau wildlife corridor -
Protection of dry forest and savannah in Kenya
Combating climate change,
Conservation of biodiversity,
new living perspectives for the local population
How do you protect 170,000 hectares of forest with its endangered species such as lions, cheetahs, zebras and elephants? Thedry forest and the savannah in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor in Kenya are important forests in the fight against global climate change. The Kasigau Wildlife Corridor climate protection project uses the mechanism of CO22-financing to preserve the local forest while enabling around 100,000 local people to have a better life.
PROJECT FACTS
LOCATION:
Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, Kenya
PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM THIS PROJECT:
approx. 100,000
PROJECT START:
1998
PROJECT DEVELOPER:
Wildlife Works
EXTERNAL CERTIFIER:
Det Norske Veritas Climate Change Services AS (DNV)
QUALITY STANDARDS:
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), CCBS Gold Level
SIZE OF THE PROTECTED FOREST:
approx. 170,000 hectares
ANNUAL CO22-REDUCTION:
approx. 1,700,000 t2
PROTECTED ANIMAL SPECIES:
Elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, zebras, African wild dogs, countless species of birds
LINK TO THE PROJECT DOCUMENTS: https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/612
Project benefit
The Kasigau Wildlife Corridor climate protection project reduces the main causes of rainforest deforestation and the loss of biological diversity in the project region. This is done through extensive investments in the local communities.
- Permanent protection of approx. 170,000 hectares of dry forest and savannah in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor in Kenya
- Improvement of the living conditions of the approximately 100,000 inhabitants in the project area
- Construction of a hospital and examination of 50,000 patients per year in a new laboratory
- In 2019, 26 classrooms were newly built or renovated
- So far, 7,379 scholarships have been awarded, 2 school kitchens have been built, and sanitary facilities have been renovated
- Comprehensive environmental education in communities and schools is offered
- A program against water scarcity for people, animals and nature was set up
- Gender equality: new jobs for 1,200 women were created (making clothes, soaps, baskets)
- 350 new jobs in tree nurseries, education and health facilities or as rangers were created
- Protection of biodiversity in two national parks
- Successful fight against illegal elephant hunting
Contribution to the UN sustainability goals
Project background
How do you actually protect 170,000 hectares of forest? The Kasigau project protects dry forest and savannah in the wildlife corridor that connects the Tsavo East and Tsavo West nature parks in Kenya. Endangered species such as lions, zebras and cheetahs as well as countless species of birds live here. During the seasonal migration, 2,000 African elephants cross the area every day.
However, this forest area is characterized by massive deforestation, slash and burn. To protect the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, over 100 rangers were trained in the local population to guard and defend the area. Additional income opportunities are needed for the local population in order to curb the overexploitation of nature. The project creates jobs in factories and small companies.
This project was named the best global climate protection project in Environmental Finance’s 8th Voluntary Carbon Market Ranking 2017.
How does climate protection work with forest protection?
Forests are among the most important CO22-sinks on the planet, they are home to an enormous biodiversity and are the basis of life for many people. However, the global forest areas have declined sharply in the last few decades due to increasing settlement, agricultural use, illegal deforestation and increased extraction of raw materials.
Forest protection projects like the one in Kenya ensure that forests are preserved in the long term and that the protection of the forest is more valuable than its deforestation. In addition, forest protection projects create alternative sources of income and educational opportunities.
Depending on the project region, forests store different amounts of CO22 per hectare. Especially a lot of carbon is stored in the vegetation and soil of tropical swamp forests, primary rainforests or mangroves.
Project Quality Standards
VCS - Verified Carbon Standard
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is the world's leading standard for reducing emissions from forest protection projects. These emission reductions must be real, measurable, permanent, additional, tested by independent third parties and calculated conservatively.
Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards
The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) examine the impact of climate protection projects on climate, biodiversity and human rights. The CCBS do not have their own methodology for calculating emission reductions, as they are only used in combination with the VCS.
