Carbon Market for Protected Areas in Sub-Sahara Africa

Protected areas in Sub-Sahara Africa have been facing a significant loss of forest cover for decades; this trend continues despite substantial national and international support. Protected areas’ management is typically financed from state budgets and donor contributions. KfW currently supports approximately a hundred protected forest and savannah areas in 20 countries in the region. Public funding is expected to decline in the years to come; hence, additional sources of income are urgently needed. Both volumes and prices of carbon credits on the voluntary market have been high in recent years, but protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa have barely benefited. Owing to our significant sectoral and thematic experience, KfW selected Unique to explore the options the voluntary carbon market offers for protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa.