Fair cocoa for protecting the National ParkThe Upper Guinean forests are among the only three forested biodiversity hotspots in Africa. Only one fifth of the formerly vast forest area, which stretched over several countries, remains today. Since 2011, the Gola Rainforest National Park on the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia has been protecting most of this endangered ecosystem. The project area comprises 68,500 hectares of rainforest with countless animal and plant species, including the highly endangered Western Chimpanzee.
Also, 23,500 people in 114 local communities live off the forest's natural resources. The carbon finance allows to improve the preservation management and to implement a sustainable use of the natural resources. This is also possible because local communities can play an active role and improve their living conditions. It is the first forest conservation project in Sierra Leone, a country marked by civil war and a severe Ebola crisis.
How does forest protection help fight global warming?Forests are not only among the planet's most important carbon reservoirs. They also are home to an enormous diversity of species and are the livelihood for all people. However, global forest areas have declined sharply in recent decades due to increasing settlement, agricultural use, illegal logging and mining.
Forest protection projects ensure that forests are preserved in the long term and that the protection of forests is given a higher value than their deforestation. Together with the local population, project participants protect the area from negative influences. To allow for this the projects create alternative sources of income and educational opportunities. Depending on the project region, forests store varying amounts of carbon per hectare. Particularly high amounts of carbon are stored in the vegetation and soil of tropical swamp forests, primary rainforests, or mangroves. Forest protection projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
