Since the Kariba REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) project launched in 2011, more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 have been prevented from entering the atmosphere. The project has also supported the independence and well-being of local communities.

The Context
In recent decades, Zimbabwe has suffered from political and economic turbulence. With limited economic opportunities, desperate communities have delved deeper into the forests, clearing it for subsistence farming and fuelwood. More than a third of Zimbabwe’s majestic forests have been lost. Creating further instability for people with already precarious livelihoods.

The Project
The Kariba Project protects almost 785,000 hectares of forests and wildlife on the southern shores of Lake Kariba, near the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. One of the largest registered REDD+ projects by area it connects four national parks and eight safari reserves, forming a giant biodiversity corridor that protects an expansive forest and numerous vulnerable and endangered species – including the African elephant, lion, hippo, lappet-faced vulture and southern ground hornbill. As well as this, the project implements numerous community- focused initiatives detailed below.

The Benefits
Kariba is a community-based project, administered by the four local Rural District Councils (RDCs) of Binga, Nyaminyami, Hurungwe and Mbire. As such, the project supports a range of activities beyond environmental protection, promoting the independence and wellbeing of these communities. Improved clinic amenities provide better healthcare, infrastructure including new roads and boreholes improve daily life, and school subsidies are offered to the poorest quartile of the population. Project activities in conservation agriculture, community gardens, beekeeping training, fire management, and ecotourism create jobs and facilitate sustainable incomes, benefiting the entire region.

So far, the project has trained 233 local people to generate profit from sustainable beekeeping. Community gardens, beekeeping training, fire management and ecotourism create jobs and facilitate sustainable incomes that benefit the entire community.

Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      VCS Verified Carbon Standard 902

The Zorlu 56.4 MW Wind Farm Project will contribute to local sustainable development in the project area by exerting the following effects:

Economic development: Pakistan is currently facing acute energy supply bottlenecks. The project activity is expected to generate an estimated amount of 159,010 MWh per year and will therefore contribute to a reduction in the number of black-outs and brown-outs experienced by other Pakistani grid users. This can help to improve the economic performance of other businesses connected to the grid and supports economic growth in Pakistan.

Social development: The project will offer job opportunities for local people during the construction phase and the operational period, thus creating income opportunities and contributing to a higher living standard in the region. 

Environmental development: By avoiding air pollution from fossil-fuel power plants and reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly, the project has positive effects for the local environment and improves Pakistan’s climate balance. 

Technological development: The project activity is the first of its kind in Pakistan. By adopting foreign manufacturer wind turbines, the project initiates an important transfer of technical know-how to Pakistan, and can act as a pioneer in promoting the spread of this technology to other wind power projects in this country.

Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      Gold Standard 3946

Solar Energy for India

M/s Orange SuvaanEnergy Private Limited (OSEPL) is constructing a solar energy project in the village of Mhasaleim district of Dhule, Maharasthra, with a capacity of 100 MW (50 x 2 phases).

The aim of the project activity is to generate electrical energy through the operation of a photovoltaic solar power plant. The total installed capacity of the project activity is 100 MW.

The objective of the Project Activity is the generation of electrical energy using solar energy through the operation of photovoltaic solar panels.

The electricity generated by the project will be exported to the Indian power grid. The Project Activity will therefore displace a corresponding amount of electricity that would otherwise have been generated by the dominant fossil fuel based electricity grid.



Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      Gold Standard 5928

Prior to the project, litter from the local poultry industry was dumped in landfill pits near the farms, which resulted in methane being released freely into the atmosphere. In the first two decades after its release, methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of heating up the atmosphere. This project is connected to the Southern Regional Electricity Grid of India, which is dominated by thermal power plants. 

The project involves installing a 7.5 MW capacity generator to burn poultry and biomass waste, including litter and rice husks, that will be collected from local farms. Besides the small internal consumption, the energy will be exported to the grid. 

By feeding into the grid, the project displaces electricity generated from fossil fuels, thus avoiding the associated emissions. In addition, it helps to avoid the methane emissions arising from poultry waste being disposed of in anaerobic lagoons in the surrounding fields. This improves the environment, in terms of sanitation and odor for the nearby villages resulting in better health and living conditions. The project also creates a number of job opportunities, a share of which goes to the local communities, boosting the regional economy, while training provides staff with skills that could help other renewable energy projects flourish 

Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      Gold Standard 3072