A small experiment in Uganda that uses carbon credits to fund reforestation could provide a viable template for poor nations to conserve their green cover
In the peak afternoon sun, a pickup truck rumbles through the dirt track flanked on either side by rolling hills of neatly lined pine trees as far as the eye can see. At a clearing in the middle of the pine forest, the truck comes to a halt, raising a cloud of dust. It is the only irritant to the fresh smell of pine. This isn’t a temperate coniferous forest in North America. It’s the heart of equatorial Africa, Uganda. And these alien, fast-growing, Caribbean pines are gaining popularity as the solution to reforest degraded land.
The community is fully aware of the challenges. The people have not got any carbon money but they have no doubt it’s on its way. “Recently, the accountant of World Bank visited us and promised that the money will come as soon as possible,” Byesigwa says. “We dig deep in our pockets, but it’s for the long-run,” says Amanyire Deo, project co-ordinator, RECPA. The community cannot access forest resources freely for nearly five years after planting.
(This story appears in the 02 July, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)