SAFE

Cameroon deforestation

The Cameroonian rainforest is one of the richest biological areas on Earth. This rainforest offers a habitat for plants, animals and micro-organisms. However, forest biodiversity is increasingly threatened by deforestation, fragmentation, climate change as well as other stressors. Northern Cameroon is comprised primarily of deforested lands that are slowly becoming depleted. The Southern forest is decreasing in size from logging and fuelwood collection. The rural communities of Cameroon are living in a condition of sustainable farming yet the deforestation poses a threat to its inhabitants due to a reduction in soil fertility.

S.A.F.E. Project

The aim of the S.A.F.E. project is to establish a food forest with a high carbon stock in order to improve the conditions of local population and rehabilitate the degraded natural system.

Through the creation of an interactive variety of multifunctional elements such as plants and trees, it will be possible to built a stable ecosystem. A balanced habitat will provide the local population with different products throughout the year, providing them with food, energy and shelter, along with other material and non-material needs through a sustainable method.

The difference between a cultivated forest ecosystem and a natural forest ecosystem is that the majority of plant species in a cultivated forest is intended for the beneficial use of humans and/or livestock. In the Sustainable Agroforestry Ecosystem almost every plant is hand-selected to provide and support a direct yield for people: a harmonious synergy of landscape and people.

Many leguminous species have been integrated into the planting process to support young fruit trees and to transform the atmospheric nitrogen to assist growth for seedlings. This sustainable system allows the trees to grow on degraded soils without any additional fertilizer that otherwise will affect the GHG balance.

Work method statement

Treedom is the promoter and administrator of forestry activities. Treedom works in depleted areas that has been deeply deforested. Through reforestation activity Treedom brings to environmental benefit as the promotion of biodiversity, an improvement of soil fertility and an enhance in carbon stock from which carbon credits are delivered to counterbalance emission of users.

S.A.F.E and others project under definition has been founded on a philosophy based on social sustainability with a long planning phase in collaboration with local authorities and native populations. We aim to improve also the socio-economic condition of local farmers by ensuring food security thanks to the production of goods to be destined to the Fair Trade market (i.e. Chocolate, Tropical Fruit).

Baseline Scenario

To calculate in a correct way carbon credits that will be delivered from forest activities, emission must be referred to the baseline scenario that represents the emissions that would occur in the absence of the project activity. The area where the project is implemented is composed by a mosaic of forest and degraded grassland (savannah) with a low index of biodiversity. Deforestation activities is the cause of depleted soil where forest it is not able to advance again. In this context carbon stock of herbaceous plants is close to zero.

Trees planted, year after year will improve carbon stock up till restore the original level of CO2 present in the contiguous forest (that can reach 500 tCO2(eq) per hectare) or amount to 800 tCO2(eq) that characterized typical agro-forestry systems.

Additionality

Additionality is a typical concept of emission reduction projects. A project is additional if it occurs only thanks to carbon credits. It our context additionality is easy to demonstrate: in fact in the region there are not similar projects and reforestation is not a lucrative activity, not even if associated with interesting production as cacao or tropical fruit production.

Emission Reduction

Emission reduction net value is calculated as the difference between the removal of carbon from the atmosphere thanks to trees carbon stock and the CO2 currently present in grassland, that is close to zero."