Mozambique Taps its Potential for the Carbon Market
Mozambique’s national parks and rich biodiversity are globally renowned. In 2021 Mozambique became the first country to be paid by the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) for reducing emissions. FCPF paid $6.4 million for 1.3 million verified emission reductions, or carbon credits, generated through community-based efforts in nine districts of the Zambézia Province over a 12-month period. The payment marks the first under Mozambique’s Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA), which will pay up to $50 million from the FCPF for 10 million tons of carbon emission reductions generated through 2024. The transaction signals to international carbon markets that large-scale programs that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (known as REDD+) can produce the high-integrity, high-quality carbon credits that buyers demand. The ERPA program also promotes conservation and climate-smart agriculture, helps farmers tap into sustainable supply chains, restores degraded land, stimulates more efficient charcoal production and consumption, and improves protected area management.
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