VCS1168 REDD+ Malawi

VCS1168 | REDD+, Malawi is a forest (nature-based) Verified Carbon Standard project protecting biodiversity and supporting local communities.

Project Description: VCS1168 | REDD+, Malawi

The project targets 169,136 ha of forest located in a 5 km band inside of three critical Protected Areas.

These Protected Areas are now islands of standing forest in a heavily degraded landscape matrix.

They are being rapidly degraded by adjacent communities due to limited governance resources and population pressures.

More than 45,000 households in over 800 villages live within 10 km of these areas.

Local populations are intensifying and expanding their exploitation of the forests’ resources to unsustainable levels.

The project supports sustainable forest management in the Protected Areas’ border zones.

It is a pro-poor approach to community-based forest management for the protection of natural forest.

Sustainability Beyond Carbon

There is more to offsets than just carbon.

Each VCS carbon credit is a tonne of verified climate benefit, no matter the type of project.

This carbon offset project provides multiple sustainability co-benefits beyond just carbon and helps link your climate response to improved sustainability.

These protected areas have high biodiversity values, being habitat for many iconic mammals and over 160 species of birds.

This includes lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, hyena, zebra, hippopotamus, crocodile, warthog, monkeys, antelope, sable antelope, greater kudu, Liechtenstein’s hartebeest, eland, reedbuck, bushbuck, common duiker, bush pig, impala.

In particular, Nyika NP is a biodiversity hotspot for both plants, birds and mammals.

It has the most large mammals and the highest concentration of roan antelopes in Africa as well as the world’s largest blue swallow breeding population and 215 orchid species.

Project activities include:

• strengthening land-tenure and governance;
• supporting development/ implementation of sustainable forest and land use management plans;
• forest protection through patrolling, social fencing and forest boundaries’ maintenance;
• fire prevention and suppression activities;
• reducing fuelwood consumption and increasing energy efficiency by introducing fuel-efficient cookstoves;
• creating alternative fuelwood sources through agroforestry and farm woodlots;
• sustainable intensification of agriculture on existing agricultural land; and
• developing local enterprises based on sustainably harvested non-timber forest products (e.g. honey, coffee, macadamia), and livestock.

Want to know more about VCS1168 | REDD+, Malawi?

The project’s design and monitoring, validation and verification reports are publicly available here: https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/1168