REDD+ in Central Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is the primary mechanism through which Central Africa's forests can generate carbon revenues. The region presents exceptional conditions for this type of project: intact forests with high biodiversity, local communities dependent on forests, and governments increasingly receptive to carbon finance as a development tool.

REDD+ opportunities in Central Africa concentrate in several landscape types. The lowland forests of the central Congo basin — particularly in transition zones between dense forests and savannas — present high deforestation risk. The montane forests of the Albertine Rift, spanning Cameroon, DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda, combine high carbon density with exceptional biodiversity.

The challenges are significant. Land tenure is particularly complex in Central Africa, where customary rights of local and indigenous communities (including the Baka people in Cameroon and Pygmy peoples in Congo) are not always recognized in national legal frameworks.

Despite these challenges, investment flows toward Central Africa REDD+ projects are increasing. Companies like South Pole, Wildlife Works Carbon, and Everland have already developed or acquired development rights over several million hectares in the region.