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The Darker Side of Green: Plantation Forestry and Carbon Violence in Uganda

Carbon markets assign a price to the amount of carbon dioxide a forest can sequester. The carbon-dioxide absorbing service provided by the forest can then be sold or issued in the form of carbon credits to governments or industries to offset their pollution. A rising number of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) by foreign companies in sub-Saharan Africa are intended for the development of forestry plantations to meet the global demand for carbon credits. This report produced by the Oakland Institute on a plantation forestry initiative in Uganda indicates that, although plantation forestry for the carbon trade is often touted as a ‘green’ and sustainable investment opportunity, plantation forestry can severely threaten local residents’ food security, livelihoods, and access to land and natural resources. The report argues that LSLAs for forestry plantation should be subject to the same scrutiny and procedures for local consultation, accountability and benefit sharing as other types of LSLAs.

Keywords: carbon markets, large-scale land acquisition, plantation forestry, customary lands, cultural sites.

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Uploaded on: Jul 27, 2015
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2015
Year Published: 2014


Resource Tags

Resource Type: Practitioner Resources Issues: Community / Customary Land Rights, Environmental Justice, Governance, Accountability & Transparency Tool Type: Reports / Research Target Population: Rural Method: Improving Governance, Accountability and Transparency, Research Languages: English Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa