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Project name: Eastern Cape Bamboo Forestry Project
Location: Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Technology: AFOLU-ARR*, Afforestation, Carbon Removal
Standard: Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
Estimated tonnes of CO2 removal: ~4.2m over the project’s lifetime
Impact highlights: Effective carbon sink, soil restoration, job creation
AFOLU-ARR: The project type is Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and the type of activity is Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR).
Why the Eastern Cape:
South Africa's Eastern Cape has undergone a land transformation and degradation spanning several centuries. This process has been driven by various factors, including the clearance of the original ecosystem for livestock production, over-intensive grazing practices, and prolonged periods of drought. Consequently, the degradation of land in this region has been closely connected with the increase in unemployment and poverty levels. To tackle these pressing challenges, this project is rehabilitating landscapes and promoting sustainable land use.
This project is located on one of those degraded lands that was cleared from the native ecosystem more than 10 years ago, and it is specifically targeting the planting and management of naturalized species of giant clumping bamboo. This project intends to actively rehabilitate up to 4,500 hectares of degraded lands and an additional 30% of the project area is set aside for the restoration of native tree species. This is for conservation and biodiversity purposes and will create a landscape-scale restored ecosystem that provides a full suite of ecosystem services.
This project is estimated to have an initial removal of around 4.2 million tonnes of CO2 over the 20 year project crediting period, across 4,500 hectares.
Why clumping bamboo:
Under the right management, clumping bamboo represent an effective mechanism for biological carbon removal and an associated carbon sink. These carbon removals are long-term and permanent with older material being thinned out to stimulate the continued growth of new clumps on an annual basis.
A newly planted bamboo plant can sequester approximately 2 tons of carbon dioxide in just 10 years. In comparison, a typical hardwood tree can sequester approximately 1 ton of carbon dioxide in 40 years.
Restoring forests, peatlands, mangroves, and other natural solutions worldwide can provide more than a third of the greenhouse gas mitigation needed by 2030. The complex root systems of bamboo make it especially effective at holding the earth together and preventing landslides. Bamboo controls the flow of rainfall to soil and therefore, reduces runoff and slows the flow of water into rivers.
Impact
Enhancing biodiversity
Once the bamboo species are planted, they create tight root structures to quickly bind soils and stabilize riverbanks to reduce flooding of surrounding farmland.
Restoring soil and avoiding erosion
The planting is designed to cover the lowland coastal belt. It utilizes a naturalized species of clumping bamboo, which thrives even in extremely degraded soils with limited potential for agriculture use. At the same time, this project aims to conserve and enrich e the existing areas of native subtropical thicket vegetation.
Supporting the community
This project is providing individuals and communities with secure income, while ensuring that they become integrated within formal systems (i.e.banking, health care,social security). Economic improvement of local communities will be achieved through creating job opportunities in areas that currently have an unemployment rate of more than 60 percent.
Gender equality
The project not only provides equal opportunity employment but actively encourages the participation of women across all project activities. Several initiatives such as radio programs, community days, and continuous stakeholder engagement are created to educate and encourage women.
To ensure the highest standards of impact and project progress, independent third-party verifiers will closely monitor and evaluate all the aforementioned impacts. In addition, our team of technology and project experts conducts regular site visits, reaffirming our commitment to maintaining exceptional project quality.