First community carbon credits unlock conservation cash

February 01, 2026

Dear subscriber,

What if restoring land could also restore livelihoods? Africa has been experimenting with solutions that reward communities while protecting nature. The results are promising.

Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor

Private carbon buyers have for the first time paid communities to restore degraded land at scale and under high-integrity standards. A community-focused grassland restoration project in South Africa issued the world’s first Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) carbon credits, marking a milestone for conservation finance.

  • The issuance of 266,255 verified carbon units by Tasc, a carbon project developer on January 23rd followed closely after Rubicon Carbon signed a nine-year agreement to supply Microsoft with two million tonnes of carbon credits from trees planted on degraded farmland in Uganda.

  • Low and unstable rural incomes across Africa are a major barrier to effective conservation. In both projects, carbon finance is channelled directly to smallholder farmers, turning degraded land into income-generating conservation assets.

  • Our take: Corporate offtake agreements provide communities with a steady and predictable source of conservation funding…Read more (2 min)

We have identified over 40 conservation roles this month. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the leading recruiter with 5 roles. Four of these (project officer positions) are tied to new projects in Madagascar and Mozambique focused on forest landscape restoration and community-led protection of lemurs.

  • The United Nations Environmental Programme advertised four roles in project management, environmental law and others, all based in Kenya.

  • East Africa leads in this month’s hiring list followed by Southern Africa, Central Africa then West Africa.

  • Full list of jobs…Read more (2 min)

Convenings are plentiful from now until the end of April with 16 conservation events across Africa. One key event is the Business of Conservation Conference (BCC). BCC will take place from 4 to 7 March in Nairobi. It will focus on using wildlife sustainably to boost economic growth and will explore opportunities in the wildlife economy.

  • The Women Conserving Southern Africa Congress will be held from 16 to 20 February in Botswana. The event focuses on uniting women in the conservation sector and discussing gender equality, climate change, community-based approaches and best practices.

  • Other conferences cover soil and water conservation, biodiversity issues, community forestry, agroforestry, conservation technology and others.

  • Full list of events…Read more (2 min)

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Source: AWF

Poaching for body parts is the new threat to the existence of lions according to a study

Various 

🌳 Global popularity of Africa’s Baobab tree raises biodiversity risk

🌳 Report says over 62,000 penguins have starved to death in South Africa

🌳 Angola designates its first ever wetland of international importance

Seen on LinkedIn 

Elizabeth Gitari, a Conservation Law Expert, says, “The birth of Kenya’s 100th Mountain Bongo calf is a powerful case study in how law, policy, long-term financing, and partnerships can work together to reverse biodiversity loss._______________