After contacting many carbon neutral companies they came up against a brick wall because as soon as the companies realised they were not going to “buy” offsets from them but were interested in trying to develop their own interest in their project faded away!
So what Robin Pope has decided to do is to start a tree nursery with the Nsefu community. To keep the community interested in the project they have designed a plan that will involve a combination of indigenous species, fruit trees, and agro-forestry species. The idea is that they will not only help to reduce carbon, but also help to reforest the Nsefu area and create a lasting benefit to the communities as a whole.
Plant species used will be fast growing and will be popularly used for firewood and building, etc. to replace trees that have been cut down and to try and reduce the further deforestation of the Nsefu area.
The fruit trees and agro-forestry species are trees which will be used for the carbon offset portion of the project. These trees are all species which will benefit the local community and so hopefully will not be cut down. There are also some indigenous fruit trees which they will try to concentrate on using.
In addition to the tree planting projects Robin Pope Safaris are also looking into trying out solar cooking methods. The usage of solar stoves will significantly reduce the amount of firewood that is used by each household and therefore reduce carbon emissions as well as slow the deforestation process. It will also save the women the agony of collection and facing the wrath of local forestry officers hell bent on getting payment for their efforts!
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