Two Hadzabe villages earn 38 million/- from Carbon Tanzania in six months

By The guardian reporter

The Hadzabe are one of the remaining gatherers and hunters in the world. (File photo)

Two little known Hadzabe villages in Arusha Region earned 38m/- from Carbon Tanzania Limited as payment for their forests carbon sequestration during the first half of this year.

 

Carbon Tanzania said in a report on its website that the two villages, Domanga and Mongo wa Mono, successfully kept deforestation at bay using traditional patrol guards known as Walinzi wa Jadi.

 

“Of the 38m/- paid by Carbon Tanzania to Domanga and Mongo wa Mono villages in the first half of 2014, 7.2m/- was paid directly to the Walinzi wa Jadi using M-Pesa, both creating employment and ensuring patrolling and enforcement of the project area,” the company said in its recent report.

 

The Arusha-based company, whose operations this year have focused on monitoring, financial planning and preparing the way for project expansion, said the Hadzabe have contained land conflicts with poaching remains a minor problem. 

 

“Our monthly monitoring systems are essential to allow us to understand the situation on the ground and document land incursions, political discourse and poaching events. 

 

The anti-poaching and data gathering teams, Walinzi wa Jadi, patrol within the 20,200ha project area, the core area for the Hadzabe to utilize,” the company noted. 

 

Whilst poaching incidents continue to occur, those involving weapons declined from seven in mid-2013 to zero in mid-2014, this excellent result is due mainly to a number of arrests made by the Walinzi aw Jadi supported by the district game officer and Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT),” the report added.

 

Carbon Tanzania, which works in partnership with UCRT and Dorobo Safaris Limited to strengthen accountability and refine how money reaches the community and how it is spent, pointed out that several clients especially tour operating and travel companies are paying to offset carbon footprint of tourists.

 

“Along with Dorobo Safaris and Haydom Lutheran Hospital, we have set up a dedicated heath fund for the Hadzabe, which allows individuals to obtain free medical treatment from the hospital,” the report noted.

 

“In Tanzania, the tourism industry contributes significantly to carbon emissions. The majority of the carbon footprint is derived from flights originating largely in the United States or Europe, while the smaller part of the emissions can be attributed to driving while on safari in Tanzania,” the Carbon Tanzania’s field report pointed out. 

 

Carbon Tanzania’s notable clients include Abercrombie and Kent (and their luxury Sanctuary Lodges Group), which have been offsetting carbon emissions since 2010; and African Environments that joined in 2013 offsetting Mt Kilimanjaro climbing and remote walking safaris.

 

Others are ASILIA Lodges, Camps and Safaris, which has been making offset payments since 2010 and Braeburn School, which is the only school in Tanzania that has taken to offset the emissions generated by their transport needs since 2010.

 

The list also includes Dorobo Safaris, Fair Travel, Wildlife Explorer, National Geographic Expeditions, Nature Discovery, Sanjan, ZeroMission, Summits Africa and their international partner Adventure International.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN