EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This programme is developed for the purpose of implementing activities related to the Carbon Credit Harvest and Purchase Programme in various forest reserves and village forests in Tabora region, comprising of a total of 3,614,307.3 forest hectares. The purpose of the programme is to exploit natural capital asset of carbon credits emanating from forest resources endowment in Tanzania. It aims at enhancing sustainable communities’ livelihood sustainable forest management to ensure flow of ecosystem services, including carbon storage and sequestration as well as ecosystem resilience to climate change impacts in Tabora region and the country as whole. Specific objectives of the programme are to improve forest governance in Tabora region through the engagement of key stakeholders, particularly local communities in sustainable forest resources management for the well- being of the current and future generation. Other objectives intend to promote sustainable forest management through the balance of economic development, forest resources conservation and management, and communities’ livelihoods; and implement activities for addressing key drivers of deforestation and degradation by providing incentives for sustainable forest conservation and management that takes into account of shared responsibilities in natural resources management.

Implementation of the Carbon Credit harvesting and purchase programme will complement national efforts to conserve and manage sustainably forest resources and sustainable development. It will be implemented in the context of Voluntary Carbon Trading (VCT), which involves companies offsetting GHGs emissions from their activities and products on a voluntary basis as part of their corporate social responsibility. It envisages contributing to global and national efforts in the enhancement of sustainable forest management and improvement of communities’ livelihoods adjacent to forest resources in Tabora, which will have multiplier effects to other regions and communities in the country. The programme will be implemented in participatory manner involving stakeholders across scale, including communities, Sector Ministries, Local Government Authorities, and Private Companies. It will be implemented jointly between by the Government of Tanzania (Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania Forest Service Agency, Prime Minister’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government, Communities and Investors.

The programme will be implemented for 20 years + aiming to harvest 1.5 billion cubic tons of GHG to be sold to the through voluntary carbon marketing, Carbon Trade Exchange and other sales platforms.