The future of forest carbon in the Solomon Islands is strong, and projects like Sirebe are a good demonstration project that can support a future national program.
While local and international media have sometimes exaggerated the money received from forest carbon projects in the Solomon Islands, it’s worth noting the income from forest carbon projects is modest but still significant for local communities, especially because they also get to maintain their forest.
Carbon projects generally take 3-5 years to establish and are a long-term commitment, as well as being just one part of a diversified rural economy.
“Income from forest carbon might be the same as from logging, but it is spread over a longer time, contributing towards a more sustainable development for tribal communities,” says Wilko.
“With forest carbon, income from credits benefits all tribal members while logging only provides for a small group of people.”
Learn more about Nakau and our projects in the Pacific region.
Map data source: Hansen, M. C., P. V. Potapov, R. Moore, M. Hancher, S. A. Turubanova, A. Tyukavina, D. Thau, S. V. Stehman, S. J. Goetz, T. R. Loveland, A. Kommareddy, A. Egorov, L. Chini, C. O. Justice, and J. R. G. Townshend. 2013. “High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change.” Science 342 (15 November): 850–53. Data available on-line from: https://glad.earthengine.app/view/global-forest-change.