Protection of dryland forest from conversion to grazing land for pastoralist local communities in the Makame Wildlife Management Area with revenues from carbon credits used for community development needs, improving health and educational infrastructure, and supporting locally led project monitoring.

Nature-based Intervention:

Since 2016, Carbon Tanzania has worked with five Maasai communities with approximately 15,000 people located in the Makame WMA, a critical habitat for wildlife in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem to protect 364,322 hectares of dryland forests. The project is built on upon securing community land tenure to existing seasonal grazing land and generating income from the sale of certified carbon credits for avoided deforestation. Using a REDD+ project model the intervention is reportedly estimated to provide a cumulative net greenhouse gas reduction of reduction of 1,365,037 tonnes of CO2 between 2016 and 2026. They have used these funds for the creation of an anti-poaching unit, wildlife monitoring, environmental education, governance and management training, natural resource management infrastructure, and women empowerment initiatives.

Overview of context and outcomes:

The Makame WMA is a species rich habitat in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem. The WMA is a form of community-based natural resource management where local communities develop and implement a land use plan that can be used to secure community land tenure to existing seasonal grazing land within the WMA and designate areas that can and cannot be used for grazing. Funds generated through the sales of carbon credits for avoided deforestation are used to fund community development needs and employ Village Game Scouts as an anti-poaching unit.