Bezo's Earth Fund donates Sh3.3 billion for landscapes restoration

Members of Cheptais Community Forest Association (CCFA) plant trees at Cheptais Forest in Mt Elgon, Bungoma County, on June 9, 2023. [Courtesy]

The Bezo's Earth Fund has announced Sh3.3 billion ($22.8 million) to restore two African landscapes critical for carbon sequestration, biodiversity and human well-being in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The landscapes are Rift Valley in Kenya, Lake Kivu and the Rusizi River basin in DRC, Rwanda and Burundi.

The funds are aimed at restoring 600,000 hectares of degraded land in the aforementioned region which is equivalent to 42 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide or taking 9.3 million gasoline-powered vehicles off the road by 2050.

The Fund president and chief executive Andrew Steer announced the funding at the ongoing Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi.

It is part of Earth Fund's Sh146 billion ($1 billion) commitment to landscape restoration all over the world.

This is the second donation to Africa after the fund committed Sh6.1 billion ($42.2 million) that was aimed at accelerating Africa's movement known as AFR100.

"Africa is home to the world's largest restoration opportunity and is a critical player in the global fight against climate change, nature loss, and poverty," said Dr Steer.

He added that 24 African countries had put forward an ambitious vision to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 which he says will be accelerated by the funding.

The fund will be used to train community groups and restoration enterprises and provide organizational development to African restoration organizations.

It will be into strengthening value chains for products and services produced through restoration and attracting other funds into restoration projects and businesses in the said landscapes as well as delivering research and development to improve native tree seed supply.

It will also be used to monitor land cover changes and restoration impacts using data from Land and Carbon laboratories.

"Locally led and managed restoration efforts are more likely to deliver long term success and can bring climate and biodiversity benefits along with economic prosperity for communities. The bottom line is without the local leadership, local wisdom, and passion, scaling restoration across Africa would be impossible," said Wanjira Mathai, the Earth Fund's advisor for Africa and Managing Director at the World Resources Institute.

"Already, Africa is home to some of our planet's greatest restoration successes, and this funding will support locally-led restoration to re-green our beautiful African continent." "Africa is at the forefront of the restoration economy. Thousands of entrepreneurs across the continent are demonstrating that landscape restoration is not just good for the environment, but creates jobs and generates economic returns," said Mamadou Diakhite.

He is the Head of the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Division at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and lead of the AFR100 Secretariat.

He added; "These kinds of green jobs are essential for Africa's youth. Africa is a young continent and an entrepreneurial one. We are ready for investment."