Forests for Climate: Kenya's REDD+ Projects Explained

Kenya's forests — from the Mau Forest Complex to the Arabuko Sokoke coastal forest — represent some of the continent's most biodiverse and carbon-dense ecosystems. REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) provides the mechanism to translate forest conservation into internationally recognized carbon credits.

The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in southeastern Kenya is often cited as Africa's first large-scale REDD+ project to issue Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). Managed by Wildlife Works Carbon, it protects 500,000 acres of dryland forest while generating credits sold to multinational buyers. The project's success has catalyzed dozens of similar initiatives across Kenya.

For investors and buyers, REDD+ projects in Kenya offer several advantages: long-term credit streams (typically 30+ year project lifetimes), co-benefits including biodiversity conservation and community livelihoods, and eligibility under multiple standards (VCS + CCB for biodiversity).

Challenges include the permanence risk — ensuring forests aren't deforested in the future — and measurement uncertainty. Kenyan REDD+ projects address this through buffer pools and satellite monitoring programs, maintaining high standards of environmental integrity.