Project Overview

The Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project (NKRCP) is a community-led program to improve livelihoods, and is currently one of the few landscape scale carbon removal projects globally. The project represents a large-scale proof of concept for community-led rangelands restoration and community-based development supported by the voluntary carbon market. 

The project was developed to improve grassland health and sequester carbon in the soils of community rangelands in northern Kenya through traditional nomadic grazing alongside contemporary rangeland management practices. Communities design grazing plans, including practices such as rotational grazing, which allow perennial grasses to rest and recover, collecting and storing carbon from the atmosphere. Rotational grazing improves soil health, resulting in more plant cover and higher-quality pasture for livestock. More carbon is accumulated in the soil as plant cover increases, and root growth intensifies. By restoring approximately two million hectares of savannah grasslands in an increasingly arid region, the project is planned to capture and store 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The project area includes 1.9 million hectares of savannah grassland located approximately 270 kilometers north of Nairobi, stretching from the northern slopes of Mount Kenya to Mount Marsabit in far northern Kenya.

Pastoralist communities earn reliable and sustainable carbon revenue by leading the regeneration and restoration of savannah grasslands. They direct how the revenue generated through the project is used, including for emergency drought responses, infrastructure and water development, education, healthcare, tourism, and youth and women empowerment. 

Learn more: 

https://www.northernkenyacommunitycarbon.org/ 

https://www.northernkenyacommunitycarbon.org/impact 

The Communities

The conservancies and communities across the project area strongly and overwhelmingly endorse the project, as they have done since the project’s inception.

Recently, the project partners carried out 238 village level Ongoing Community and Stakeholder Awareness Meetings (OCSAM) during the past few months across the 22 conservancy units within the project area. The OCSAM process–which is among the largest community engagement efforts undertaken by any carbon project–is the most recent awareness building effort that began with the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process that was originally obtained as required not just by Verra’s program, but by human decency and respect. These meetings aim to further bolster communications and project awareness, and enhance the FPIC process across all the participating conservancies. The roll out of this initiative has been a resounding success and the conservancies continue to maintain a strong level of momentum. A detailed report of this initiative will be made publicly available.

Conservancy and community members have been eager to share their experiences with the project, and the impact the project is already having on their lives and livelihoods. A collection of their voices and stories is available at: https://www.northernkenyacommunitycarbon.org/community-voices  

Section 6 Review

In 2022, Survival International, an activist group opposed to the voluntary carbon market, submitted criticisms of the project to Verra. Verra conducted a thorough review of the project’s verification and adherence to the rules of its Voluntary Carbon Standard. The result of this 10 month-long process, reaffirming the project was properly verified to the standard’s requirements, is a testament to the years of care and hard work the conservancies and the rest of the project partners have put in to ensure the project delivers measurable results and impact. Opportunities to further strengthen the project, such as on stakeholder engagement and communications, have been designed into the project’s continuous learning and improvement plans from the very beginning. 

Despite the review, and consistent with their stated opposition to the VCM in general, in July 2024 Survival International resubmitted their complaints against the project which had already been reviewed and closed to the satisfaction of Verra and a 3rd party verifier in 2023. 

Participating conservancies have expressed frustration and anger that Survival International, who claims to represent the interests of indigenous communities, has refused to meet with them, despite multiple invitations by the conservancies to visit them and the project landscape.

The section 6 documentation is available on the Verra registry. https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/1468 

CCB Verification & Triple Gold Status

The project recently completed its second verification as a Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standard (CCB) project, with triple gold level distinction, for the 2017-2020 generation period. Verification in accordance with the CCB standard provides 3rd party substantiation of the progress that the project is making to address climate change, support local communities and smallholders, and conserve biodiversity.  

Notable project impacts that were verified through the CCB process include:

• After accounting for the effect of annual variation in rainfall, forage production increased in the project area during the period when the project activities were fully implemented.
• 90% of women whose well-being was improved as a result of project activities claimed the grazing planning was “Helpful” or “Very Helpful.”
• 6 globally Critically Endangered or Endangered species experienced reduced threats and increased populations with the support of project activities.  

The CCB monitoring and verification reports can be found on the Verra registry. https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/1468 

The project is currently undergoing verification for the 2021 generation period.

Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT)

The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) is a membership organization owned and led by the over 40 different community conservancies it serves in northern and coastal Kenya. NRT supports both the NKRCP’s project activities on the ground, and the reporting needed for ongoing verification of carbon credits. 

Ian Craig, the founder of NRT, recently raised concerns to the chairs of the NRT Board and Council of Elders about certain decisions made by the Board and Council as part of NRT’s plan for organizational transformation to strengthen its operations. The Council of Elders released a statement in response, reassuring NRT’s stakeholders that their normal process is being followed, with the aim to strengthen processes and transparency to best address the needs of the local communities, strengthen peace in the region, and protect the environment.

The Statement from the NRT Council of Elders is here.

Native continues to have a high level of confidence in the project. We trust that this internal matter is being given appropriate consideration as determined by NRT leadership. The project’s operational plan guides the execution and quality of the project, including technical, operational, and social procedures. The project stands on its own, and its performance has not and will not be impacted by NRT’s organizational shifts. 

The Project in the News

Guns go silent in bandit-ravaged regions as locals embrace carbon trading. The Nation, July 2024.

Storing Carbon in Kenya’s Soil Could Help Herders and Save the Planet. Newsweek, December 2023.

Kenya, EU in support of carbon credit firm. The Nation, May 2023.

Carbon project has transformed the lives of Isiolo communities, interview with Adan M., Chairman Leparua conservancy. The Nomad Times, April 2023.

Community defends carbon offset projects in northern Kenya.The Nation, April 2023. 

It all hinges on the herders. The Guardian, November 2022.

Full Speech: President William Ruto launches African Carbon Markets initiative at COP27, transcript from COP27, November 2022.

Contact Us

If you are interested in learning more about this project, we invite you to contact us:

Jennifer Gerholdt: [email protected]