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Community Based REDD Mechanisms for Sustainable Forest Management in Semi-Arid Areas (Case of Ngitilis in Shinyanga Region) Pilot Project
Picture: Some of the participants in awareness raising seminar conducted on 11th March 2010 at NAFRAC conference hall, fifth from right is the District Commissioner for Shinyanga Ms. Amina Masenza The overall goal of the project is to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions through sustainable forest management and carbon market incentives. Its purpose is to assist 250 Ngitili owners in 10 villages of Shinyanga rural and Kahama districts to establish a robust local institutional framework that effectively manages the restored Ngitilis to capture benefits arising from REDD. The potential number of beneficiaries in the two districts is about 6000 households. The project approaches involve formalization of Ngitili into legal entities in order to address ownership and governance issues and aggregation of Ngitili owners into functional groups to facilitate carbon marketing. Essentially, the project will address key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation which include introduction of alternative and energy efficient technologies, improved land use practices, institutional set up for REDD implementation, management and governance of Ngitilis. The project will also estimate REDD related costs, determine opportunity costs, assess different mechanisms for carbon trading and benefit sharing to help Ngitili communities successfully participate and benefit from carbon incentives. Mechanisms for private sector involvement and benefit from the REDD process will be assessed to provide inputs to the national REDD strategy development as well as fulfilling the objectives of the national forestry policy. The project is implemented in partnership with TaTEDO (Centre for Sustainable Modern Energy Expertise), DASS (Development Associates), NAFRAC (Natural Forest Resources Management and Agroforestry Centre), Kahama and Shinyanga Rural District Councils. Other supporting institutions include, SUA (Sokoine University of Agriculture), Clinton Foundation, National REDD Task Force, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (Forestry and Beekeeping Division) and Vice Presidents Office (Division of Environment), NGOs, CBOs and Private companies. |



