Founded upon long-standing relationships with forest management professionals and rural communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ERA is developing an integrated REDD and IFM project. The project will protect large tracts of rainforest from industrial hardwood timber harvesting, while facilitating the transition of local people to sustainable land use, resulting in millions of tonnes of CO2 benefits to the atmosphere.
Ecosystems: The DRC is home to over 133 million hectares tropical forest – more than any other country except Brazil. While deforestation rates have been historically lower than in the Amazon or South East Asia, poorly regulated extractive industries tapping into the Congo’s vast mineral resources threaten to damage or destroy the forest and the lives of those who depend on it. The carbon-financed establishment of new conservation concessions in the Democratic Republic of Congo will safeguard large tracts of tropical rainforest which are home to bonobos, chimpanzees, forest elephants, and countless plant and animal species - many still undiscovered.
People: For forest-dwelling and forest-dependent communities living in the heart of the Congo Basin, the introduction of an inclusive, participatory REDD programS represents an opportunity for those communities to benefit for the long-term. A significant portion of the Revenues from carbon offsets will go towards sustainable infrastructural projects designed by communities.
Carbon: The Improved Forest Management (IFM) portion of the project is expected to deliver at least 300,000 tonnes of carbon offsets per year over an expected 25 year project cycle. Carbon offsets generated from REDD activities are expected to phase in over the first several years of the project, climbing to as many as 1 million tonnes per year. All tonnes will be validated to the Climate Community and Biodiversity (CCB) standard, as well as the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS).
