Our Projects
Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project
Project Overview
The Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project represents one of Africa’s most ambitious landscape carbon initiatives, protecting and restoring critical forest ecosystems in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. These ancient mountains, formed millions of years ago, harbor unique species found nowhere else on Earth while serving as vital water towers for Tanzania’s largest city.
Led by Compassionate Carbon Tanzania Limited, a subsidiary of Eden: People+Planet, this project makes a 40-year commitment to both ecological protection and community development. By combining forest conservation (REDD+) with strategic restoration (ARR), the project fosters sustainable balance between ecosystem health and human wellbeing across 40 villages while generating verified carbon credits that provide long-term financing for landscape-scale conservation.
Through collaborative partnerships with communities, government authorities, and technical experts, the project aims to transform the relationship between people and forests, creating models for sustainable resource governance that can endure for generations.
Download the Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project Brochure
Learn more about this restoration project and its impact on local communities and ecosystems. Our detailed project brochure provides key information about implementation strategies, current progress, and partnership opportunities.Ecosystem
The Rubeho Mountains harbor a remarkable mosaic of ecosystems including montane evergreen forests, eastern miombo woodlands, lowland forests, and drought-resistant acacia-commiphora woodlands. As part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, this landscape represents relics of once widespread pan-African forests that have persisted since the Miocene era.
These forests demonstrate exceptional biodiversity with high levels of endemism due to their long isolation. Recent scientific surveys have discovered species unique to the Rubeho Mountains found nowhere else on Earth. Beyond biodiversity, these mountain forests function as critical water catchment areas that feed two major river systems supporting agriculture, hydropower generation, and domestic water use—including supplying Tanzania’s largest city.
Without intervention, projections indicate the loss of 70,520 to 86,168 hectares of forest over the next 40 years due to agricultural expansion, resource extraction, frequent fires, and limited governance capacity at the village level.
| Stat Label | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Project Area | 394,000 hectares |
| Carbon Potential | 13.7-19.3 million VCUs |
| Communities Engaged | 40 villages with ~92,500 people |
| Restoration Target | 11 million trees |
Community
The project area encompasses approximately 92,458 people across 40 villages in Tanzania’s Mpwapwa and Kilosa districts. These predominantly rural communities rely on small-holder farming, growing staple crops like maize, beans, and cassava on 1-5 acre plots with limited agricultural inputs or technical support.
Through a collaborative approach that respects local knowledge and decision-making, the project partners with communities to develop forest management systems that balance protection with sustainable use. Village Natural Resources Committees take leadership roles in forest governance, while the project fosters alternative livelihood opportunities that reduce pressure on forest resources.
Carbon revenues flow directly to communities through a transparent benefit-sharing mechanism compliant with Tanzania’s Carbon Trading Regulations, empowering villages to invest in community development initiatives of their choosing while creating employment through forest protection, restoration, and monitoring activities.
Technical Approach
The Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project implements two complementary carbon methodologies:
REDD+ Component: Protects 260,900 hectares of existing forests and woodlands by addressing drivers of deforestation through community-based forest management. Using Verra’s VM0048 methodology, the project prevents emissions from deforestation and degradation by implementing participatory land use planning, establishing Village Land Forest Reserves, training forest patrols, and creating fire management systems.
ARR Component: Restores 10,000 hectares of degraded land with focus on 500m buffer zones around existing montane forest. Following Verra’s VM0047 methodology, the project will plant approximately 11 million trees while facilitating natural regeneration in areas where forest can recover when pressures are removed.
Both components apply the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards to ensure multiple benefits beyond carbon. The project implements a robust monitoring framework tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, social impacts, and agricultural changes through a combination of remote sensing, forest inventories, and participatory monitoring with communities.
Progress and Impact
The Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project is currently in the development phase, with implementation beginning in 2025. Initial work has focused on stakeholder engagement, participatory planning, and technical assessments to design a project that delivers meaningful climate, community, and biodiversity benefits.
The first implementation phase will focus on the Mafwomero South-East Forest Cluster, working with six villages to establish protection and restoration activities. The phased approach allows for learning and adaptation as the project expands to additional village cohorts over time.
For 2025, the project targets planting 800,000 indigenous trees, bringing 300+ hectares under restoration, maintaining 100+ km of fire breaks, and completing the project design documentation. As implementation progresses, the project will generate independently verified carbon credits with first issuance expected in 2027.
