This project will reduce Texas’s reliance on fossil fuels by producing renewable wind energy. The wind farm will also boost the local economy with jobs and land lease payments, while maintaining the surrounding agricultural land.

Texas produces more electricity than any other state in the USA. In fact, the Lone Star State generates almost twice as much electricity as Florida, which is the second-largest producer of electricity in the country. While some of the electricity produced in Texas comes from clean sources, the vast majority (69%) comes from coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. When these fossil fuels are burned to generate power, they create carbon dioxide emissions which become trapped in the atmosphere and exacerbate global warming. 

Furthermore, the excavation of these fossil fuels, and the construction of related infrastructure can destroy ecosystems, pollute water, and displace whole communities. Increasing wind-generated electricity will reduce these negative impacts and provide clean energy to heat and light homes and businesses, and to power a huge number of other appliances.

The Capricorn Ridge project is located within the abundant open lands of West Texas. Covering an area of approximately 11,000 acres, the wind farm will reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuel energy sources. Seventy-five wind turbines will supply wind-generated electricity to the Lower Colorado River Authority, thus reducing the fossil fuel use in the region. 

This project employs local staff and contributes to the tax base of the Coke and Sterling counties.  Moreover, extra economic stimulus will be provided by lease payments made to land owners. Surrounding land continues to be used for agriculture, benefiting farmers and ecosystems.

This project helps Tanzania’s indigenous communities safeguard their natural resources and prevent their land from being converted into cropland by encroachers. In addition to preserving their forested homeland and traditional lifestyles, the project provides the communities with a new income stream and funds social initiatives that improve access to education and healthcare.

Forests are essential natural resources for Tanzania’s indigenous communities, such as the Hadza and Datooga tribes. These semi-nomadic forest dwellers maintain traditional lifestyles that are closely intertwined with the environment. 

The Hadza have lived in northern Tanzania’s Yaeda Valley for 40,000 years and are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet. They engage in a subsistence lifestyle, living off the land and foraging for wild foods like honey, berries, and tubers. The Datooga on the other hand are a pastoralist community that raise their livestock in the forest. Unlike the destructive practices often used by industrial farmers, the Datooga graze their cattle in a sustainable way. Their grazing patterns mimic natural wildlife movements, lessening the impact and allowing the forest to regenerate. While the Hadza and Datooga maintain different ways of life, both communities have a deep connection to the forest and depend on its health for their survival. From providing food and medicine to holding spiritual value, there isn’t a tree without a purpose. 

In recent decades, the communities were gradually displaced from their land. The Hadza and Datooga lived in temporary shelters and had no formal land ownership, making it easy for encroachers to come and take over their land. Prior to the project, the Hadza lost about 90% of their land to outside settlers who cleared the woodland areas primarily for subsistence farming. More recently, the Datooga land has been converted by encroachers to grow onions. Because the farmers used unsustainable agricultural methods, the soil quality quickly degraded, leading them to clear plot after plot of land. This deforestation and land-use change not only threatens the existence of the Hadza and Datooga peoples, it also generates carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change.

This community-led project is protecting over 270,000 acres (110,000 hectares) of drylands forest in and around Tanzania’s Yaeda Valley and Eyasi landscape. The project area forms an essential wildlife corridor which connects to the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands, a critical habitat for an immense population of animals. The project reduces the amount of carbon emissions released through deforestation by preventing the Hadza and Datooga’s ancestral lands from being converted into cropland. 

The project strengthens the communities’ land rights and helps them safeguard their natural resources from encroachers. The primary way the project accomplishes this is through the creation of village land use plans. These new plans were created by the communities with the support of the local government. By designating how different areas can be used, they prevent deforestation. While some areas may be used for grazing or farming, others are restricted as protected areas. 

The communities finally gained legal land rights preceding the start of the project. Now, the project aids them in implementing regulations to protect their land. To enhance enforcement of the community by-laws, a police post was built and 142 community members are employed as village game scouts who patrol the forest for poachers or people cutting down trees. 

Since the start of the project, the communities have observed an improvement in the health of the forest, noting that rainfall is better and wildlife is coming back. One study found that Masai giraffe numbers are increasing in the project area, in contrast to the rest of East Africa where the endangered species is largely in decline. In the past year many other animals including elephants, zebras, lions, leopards, and impalas were sighted in the project area.    

In addition to ensuring resource security, the project allows more than 64,000 remote community members to access a new stream of finance for sustainable development. The project provided over $500,000 USD in 2022 alone to support community development initiatives. Previously, there were a limited number of secondary schools in select villages, so most community members did not receive an education. The project increases access to education by funding the construction of facilities and covering school fees. Health and wellness is another key area of focus. To improve community well-being, the project has installed school toilet blocks, introduced an ambulance service and outreach clinics, and paid for children’s school meals. Though the Hadza and Datooga’s traditional lifestyles are very much in harmony with the forest, these added social benefits provide an added economic incentive to conserve their land. 

This project aims to protect a large forest area within the Valley of Jari, which is home to over 2,000 species and 2,000+ rural families. The project will provide economic opportunities including agriculture, fish hatcheries, and community cooperatives that support local handicrafts.

The Valley of Jari in Northern Brazil is located in a major watershed for the Amazon River and includes three major rivers (Jari, Cajari and Maracá). The area is home to over 2,000 rural families and serves as an ecological corridor that connects several important conservation areas. The Valley abounds with biodiversity and the tropical rainforest provides a sanctuary for many important wildlife species. Over 2,000 different types of animals live in the area, including over 100 endangered species.

During the 1970s, investments in infrastructure and new enterprises brought thousands of migrants to the region in search of job opportunities. Unfortunately, many of these jobs were linked to the pulp mill industry and relied on the exploitation of the forest. Unsustainable practices, such as clearing forest areas and feeding trees to the pulp mill brought on increased deforestation. Many families who lived in the Valley were forced to leave as the forest was converted for other uses and they lost access to its resources. Following a number of economic crises in Brazil, investment ceased and enterprises failed. Both deforestation and social issues increased.   

Jari Amapá REDD+ is an ongoing community‐based project that aims to protect a 163,040 acre (65,980 hectare) forest area in the Valley of Jari. The project safeguards large areas of forest to prevent deforestation and degradation. To further ensure the safety of this biodiverse habitat, local people will be trained in sustainable farming practices and forest management.  

By ensuring that this forest stays standing, this project will prevent approximately 3,450,279 metric tons of CO2e emissions. The project will provide local communities with financial support and establish agricultural production, fish hatcheries, beekeeping and community cooperatives that support locally made handicrafts will create additional job opportunities in the area