Tanzania says 2 million hectares of village forests support carbon trading and community income

Tanzania is highlighting its community-managed village forests, covering more than 2 million hectares, as a foundation for carbon trading and local income. A senior official said participatory forest management gives communities a financial reason to protect trees, with mangroves singled out for high carbon storage. The government also said it is promoting clean cooking to reduce firewood and charcoal use. The article reports that one hectare of mangrove can store about 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. That figure looks inflated if it is meant as annual uptake, since mangrove carbon stocks are large but annual sequestration is usually far lower. The broader point is that Tanzania is trying to connect conservation, carbon markets, and community revenue. For anyone tracking African carbon projects, this is a useful signal that village-level forestry is being positioned for carbon finance. The open questions are how credits are verified, how revenue is shared, and whether clean cooking adoption can scale before more forest is lost.