National parks start to earn carbon credit revenue

July 13, 2025

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African Parks has earned $7.35 million from carbon credit sales linked to its project in Chinko National Park in the Central African Republic. The initiative was co-developed with the Swiss consultancy firm South Pole and is registered under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation mechanism (REDD+) on the Verra platform.

  • The project was open for public comment from April to May before the payment and will use the revenue to manage parks that host endangered species, including elephants, lions, chimpanzees and African wild dogs.

  • Monetising avoided deforestation to fund park management is a growing conservation strategy in Africa. However, questions remain regarding the scale of adoption, who is profiting and how the revenue is being reinvested in wildlife protection.

  • Our take: Avoided deforestation projects that generate carbon revenue depend not just on ecological outcomes but on stable relationships with local communities…Read more (2 min)

In June, over $45 million in conservation funding was secured to help African communities withstand environmental shocks through nature-based solutions. Two major grants, aimed at Southern and Central Africa, focus on ecosystem restoration and cross-border water governance in regions that are highly vulnerable to extreme weather.

  • South Africa’s National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) received more than $39 million from the Green Climate Fund to enhance ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction. The eight-year project will restore wetlands, forests and catchment areas across four provinces, directly benefiting over 360,000 people facing heightened climate threats.

  • In the Congo Basin, an $8.7 million grant from the Global Environment Facility was awarded to a new transboundary initiative between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project will improve joint management of the Ubangi River and restore ecosystems that are critical for food security, biodiversity and water resilience.

  • Our take: Centering on communities is a long overdue correction to top-down conservation models that have failed rural Africa…Read more (2 min)

Our quarterly policy analysis reveals a growing trend in Africa toward tougher legal action on biodiversity loss. Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya have introduced new enforcement-driven laws targeting wildlife trafficking, marine ecosystem risks and endangered species recovery. The species targeted are pangolins, elephants, African penguins and pancake tortoises.

  • In Nigeria, the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill strengthens wildlife crime enforcement, introduces asset recovery measures and enhances investigative powers to dismantle trafficking networks. Nigeria is a global trafficking hub for pangolin scales and ivory.

  • South Africa’s Environmental Management of Offshore Ship-to-Ship Transfers Regulations proposed rules mandate environmental management plans, wildlife monitoring and spill response in areas like Algoa Bay, home to endangered African penguins. Meanwhile, Kenya launched a 10-year The National Recovery and Conservation Action Plan (2025–2035) to halt the extinction of this critically endangered species.

  • Our take: Criminalising wildlife trafficking with stronger legal penalties and investigative powers will help fight biodiversity loss…Read more (2 min)

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ZimParks, in partnership with African Parks and Matusadona Conservation Trust, has launched a multi-year rewilding programme in Matusadona National Park to restore herbivore populations and strengthen ecological resilience.

 

Events

🗓️ Attend the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry in Rwanda (October 20)

🗓️ Participate in the World Nature Conservation Day events near you (July 28) 

🗓️ Follow the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (October 9)

Jobs

🐘 Be the Operations Manager at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (Kenya)

👷 Apply for the Data Coordinator position at Peace Parks (South Africa)

🧑‍✈️ Join Luxury Conservation Reserve as the Head of Human Resources (Kenya)

Various 

🌳 Conservation projects handed to the community in Sierra Leone

🌳 Wildlife nonprofit launches fundraising for a conservation plane

🦏 Zimbabwe launches wildlife translocation programme

Seen on LinkedIn 

Geetika Malhotra, a conservation expert, says, “From rhino IVF breakthroughs at Ol Pejeta to the volcanic wilderness of Chyulu Hills, East Africa’s conservancies are rewriting the rules of wildlife protection, community empowerment and sustainable tourism. These living landscapes are blueprints for purpose-driven travel and regenerative conservation.”

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