Using innovative community incentives, carbon science, and digital monitoring techniques, BCP, communities, and our Government and conservation partners are at the forefront of conservation efforts, resource protection, and ecosystem restoration.
African species still migrate through large landscapes in Sub-Saharan Africa including endangered species such as elephants, lions, and wild dogs. The Luangwa-Lower Zambezi eco-system is one of the world’s last 10 remaining wildlife legacy landscapes on Earth.
Up to 83% of rural Zambians face critical poverty
Poverty drives deforestation as communities cut forests to generate income from agriculture and charcoal. Wildlife populations are threatened as a source of food or as an alternative income to vulnerable people, with the international demand for ivory, pangolin scales, and trophies higher than ever before.
Climate Change threatens the most vulnerable
Climate change has altered rainfall in Zambia. When rural communities experience severe crop failure due to drought, many supplement their income with forest cutting and illegal hunting.
Zambia remains one of the most heavily forested countries in Africa and contains phenomenally diverse and spectacular wildlife legacy landscapes. However, current land-use practices don’t generate the resources necessary to effectively conserve these natural resources.
Our REDD+ project areas protect numerous wildlife species that are considered vulnerable or endangered under the IUCN and are at risk of extinction:
African Wild Dogs, Temminck’s Pangolin, African Leopard, African Lion, African Elephant and the Southern Ground Hornbill.
Our Community Scouts are locally hired and trained by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to patrol protected forest boundaries. These scouts work to stop poaching, illegal encroachment, and deforestation.
Thank you to all of our donors for your invaluable donations towards wildlife protection in our project areas!
441
BCP and Partners supported Community Scouts patrolling the REDD+ zones
29%
of Community Scouts on BCP's Payroll are Women
18,493
Total Annual Conservation Days in 2021
16.09
Monthly Average Number of Conservation Days per Scout
160
Airwing Hours Flown carrying out aerial monitoring of REDD+ zones
Our Forest Monitoring Team, is a select group from the local community who have been trained to collect data on biomass, illegal logging, wildlife and soils and helped to achieve 8 Verified Carbon Standard verifications for the Lower Zambezi REDD+ Project and 3 VCS verification for the Luangwa Community Forests Project. Working with the Community Scouts and the Carbon Accounting and GIS team they use GPS technology and satellite imagery to identify areas affected by deforestation and encroachment. Under SMART they also use a smartphone application to collect forest carbon data and to record and track wildlife sightings of key species such as lions, ground hornbills and wild dogs. This is a great asset to our Conservation team!
20,624,764
Trees are estimated to be protected from deforestation under LZRP
565,102,877
Trees estimated to be protected from deforestation under LCFP
We undertake biomass and soil assessments to quantify carbon stored in trees, as well as Geospatial analysis using satellite imagery to calculate deforestation rates.
119,632
Average tons of carbon units issued from the 8th Verified Carbon Standard verification to date in LZRP
1,638,397
Average tons of carbon units issued from the 3rd Verified Carbon Standard verification to date in LCFP
Our projects protect areas of vital forests that are threatened. We work to create land management systems that support infrastructure, security, and biodiversity monitoring. Land management activities taking place under the Lower Zambezi REDD+ Project and the Luangwa Community Forests Project protect not only the forests but also wildlife that depends on these areas for habitat.
40,126
Hectares protected under LZRP
1,236,029
Hectares protected under LCFP