The second greatest source of climate change after the burning of fossil fuels is deforestation. Since 1973, the island of Borneo has reported a loss of over 400,000 hectares (4,000 square kilometers) of rainforest. Since 2000, nearly half of Borneo’s forest depletion is attributable to the oil plantations for which the rainforests across Indonesia have been destroyed.
REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. United Nations REDD+ projects pursue long-term strategies to address the causes of deforestation and forest degradation.

This project has managed to protect 64,500 hectares of carbon-rich peat swamp forests with a high biodiversity in lowland Borneo from the conversion to palm oil plantations surrounding the entire project area.In total, more than 120 threatened and endangered species live in the project area, including the endangered Bornean orangutan. The project activities prevent the release of 3.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents into the atmosphere each year. In addition, local communities are supported by providing training in sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

The project is accredited by the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS). In addition, this project is the first forest conservation project in the world to have its own contribution to the environment, biodiversity and social SDGs independently verified under the newly created Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).

Deforestation amounts to the second-leading cause of climate change, after fossil fuel burning. Tropical forests, upon which humanity and the global ecosystem relies, are disappearing at an alarming rate. The project is located in the Kakamega area which contains Kakamega rainforest, Kenya's last remaining indigenous forest. Rich in biodiversity, this rainforest is home to an immense variety of unique and endangered animals and plants with more than 400 species of birds have been found in the Kakamega. The northern part is protected and belongs to the Kakamega National Park.

Despite its protected status, the rainforest is seriously damaged due to its attractive resources. The region that surrounds the forest is one of the most densely populated rural regions in the world - over 500 inhabitants live in one square kilometer - and 90 percent of the people depend on firewood as a source of fuel for heating and cooking. The Kakamega Forest has lost almost 50 percent of its area since 1933.

The project has found a solution by purchasing ceramic cook stove liners which are made locally, boosting local businesses and providing an income for those producing the liners. Through the sale of carbon credits, the project purchases these liners and installs in-built cookstoves into rural homes, replacing traditional, 3-stone fires. By providing these fuel-efficient cookstoves to rural communities, household wood consumption is reduced almost by half, meaning that the collection of wood is reduced from 3 times a week, to once a week.

Thereby significantly reducing deforestation of the Kakamega rainforest. The efficient cookstoves also produce less soot and smoke, resulting in fewer respiratory illnesses in women and children. The project saves approximately 375,000 tonnes CO2e from being released into the atmosphere each year.

Without the improvement of livelihoods, conservation is not sustainable. This project makes a high impact through the conservation of natural forests, job creation for the underserved, improves the livelihood of local communities and contributes to building a skilled workforce. Registered under the Gold Standard, this project contributes to 9 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Ethiopia's most important economic commodity is coffee, which accounts for a large proportion of its exports. However, it is very sensitive to rising temperatures - an increase of one degree already leads to a loss of quality of the coffee beans, an increase of two degrees to a loss of productivity. Deforestation and climate change thus have a major impact on the coffee sector in Ethiopia.

The project presented here collaborates with Fairtrade Netherlands to reduce the deforestation of local forests by distributing cleaner cookstoves to households of rural coffee farmers in Ethiopia. This includes a cookstove each for general use and one for baking injera, a round flatbread made from teff flour. This will reduce wood consumption as fuel for cooking and the associated carbon emissions by 40%. In addition, reducing smoke inside the houses improves air quality and thus the health of those affected. The coffee farmers pay for the stoves partly in cash and partly with the carbon credits that their use yields.

Thanks to the project, 12,000 efficient cooking stoves have been installed, preventing the deforestation and burning of 25,000 kilograms of wood. This corresponds to a saving of 40,000 tons of CO2e into the atmosphere.

This project is certified under both the Gold Standard and the Fairtrade Climate Standard. The Fairtrade Climate Standard ensures that revenue from the sale of Fairtrade or carbon credits covers the cost of the project. Local households hold the carbon credits to pay off their cookstoves. Additional funds from the sale of the carbon credits are managed by the local cooperative and invested in climate adaptation activities. Local communities initiate projects like this themselves, provide training and take care of the maintenance of the cookstoves.