WHAT ARE PROJECTS IN TANZANIA WHICH DEAL WITH LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Refer to the increase or decrease of a certain things that lead to instability in the environment, are hazardous or cause danger to living things(organisms) life.(Jack,1990)

Climate change is constantly changing at all scale and over varying of time spans. (Waugh D. 1990)

CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

Refers to the effort to reduce or prevent emission of green house gases, mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making order equipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behavior. This can be as complex as a plan for new city or as simple to cook stove design. Efforts underway around the word range from high technology sub way system to bicycling path and walkways protecting natural carbon sinks through green agriculture are also elements of mitigation. UNEP takes mitigation in its efforts to help countries move towards a low carbon society. (Eliasch, 2008)

LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT

the concept of low carbon development has its roots in the UNFCCC adopted in Rio in1992,in the context of this convention. Low carbon development is now generally expressed using the term low-emission development strategies (LEDs also know as low-carbon development strategies or low-carbon growth plans), LEDs are general used to describe forwards looking national economic development plans or strategies that encompass low-emission or climate resilient economic growth. Robert Socolaw& Steve Pacala (1999).

PROJECTS IN TANZANIA WHICH DEAL WITH LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT.

In Tanzania there are various projects that deal with Low Carbon Development (LCD) and general conservation of the environment in Tanzania and East Africa at large. These projects are as follows;

MAKING REDD WORK FOR COMMUNITIES AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN TANZANIA

This project is established In September 2009 by Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG).TFCG initiated a partnership project that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation in Tanzania in ways that provide direct and equitable incentives to communities to conserve and manage forests sustainably.

Rationale for the project

Tanzania has been a world leader in the development of participatory forest management.  In Tanzania, forests under participatory forest management are generally better managed with lower rates of deforestation and forest degradation.   Forests are better managed when the women and men who live around them, are involved in their management.

In order for participatory forest management to be sustainable and equitable, tangible benefits need to accrue directly to the communities that are managing them. 

In reducing emissions of green house gases from deforestation and forest degradation communities are providing a valuable service to the global community.  REDD offers an opportunity for communities to be recompensed for that service.  The aim of this project is to demonstrate how this can be done in an equitable, effective and efficient way.

Establishing a Community Carbon Enterprise

The project will support MJUMITA the Tanzania Community Forest Conservation Network to aggregate voluntary emission reductions from its members and sell them according to internationally recognized standards.   

The project includes an evaluation and communication component designed to capture the lessons learnt in order to inform project implementation and share them with the national and international community.  The project also focuses on building in-country capacity with regards to REDD at both local and national governmental levels. This is linked with a strategic advocacy component aimed at forging a smooth path for REDD in Tanzania by engaging in the formulation of the national REDD strategy and processes at national and international level.

Where the project is found

The project implemented in Kilosa and Lindi rural Districts in Tanzania. Lindi Rural District is in coastal Tanzania and includes parts of the Eastern African coastal forest biodiversity hotspot. Kilosa District is in the Eastern Arc Mountains, part of the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot.

The project is a five year project which was launched in September 2009.

The project is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Norway.

 DODOMA ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK (DONET)

Dodoma Environmental Network(DONET). This is the voluntary membership based non-governmental organization formed by individual members, umbrella environmental networks and interest organizations. The History of the Dodoma Environmental Network (DONET) goes back to 1994 when a group of people with keen interest on environmental conservation decided to establish DONET. The organization becomes registered in 1995 under the Ministry of Home Affairs as a voluntary, non-profit membership based organization with registration number SO. 8304 and in 2006 the organization complied with the new NGOs Act of. 2002 with certificate of registration No.1609

DONET's aim is to sensitize, educate and liaise with individual people, organizations, institutions community groups, government institutions and non-governmental organizations in the conservation of the environment and in ensuring sustainable management of natural resources of Tanzania in general through coordinated community plans of environmental management and conservation.

DONET works on environmental and development issues that cut across different sectors. The interested issues of work intervened into the Strategic plan including Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration, Kilimo Kwanza and the Environment, Environmental Conservation and Education, Environmental Friendly IGA’s and Technology and Mining, Oil and Gas Exploration.

These areas include:

• Conservation agriculture
• Access to renewable energy technologies
• Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity Conservation
• Improved Practices and Technologies on Environmental Conservation
• Food Security and
• Access to Clean Water

MANAGING DEFORESTATION IN SOUTH –EASTERN TANZANIA(MDSET)

Carbon Tanzania has partnered with a group of leading organizations and research institutions in a four-year pilot initiative. The project, which is funded by the Norwegian Government’s Climate Forestry Initiative to the tune of over $1.9 million from 2010-2013, is led by the Mpingo Conservation Development Initiative (MCDI).

MCDI has been working in Kilwa since 2004 to facilitate establishment of Village Land Forest Reserves and development of methods for sustainable harvesting of high-value timber species in communally managed forests. This will enable villages to capture premium prices for sustainably harvested timber species such as Mpingo in their communal forest reserves.

A central element of this project will be integrating new forms of income captured through global carbon markets established under REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) with existing community-based forest management and forestry certification schemes.

The project helps in reducing the emission of carbon by encouraging the villagers to plant many trees in their forest and rural communities will manage their forests, helping to alleviate poverty and ensuring that ongoing support costs can be covered. 

The project aims to improve forest management and fire management. These offsets will be generated based on the highest scientific standards and will be validated and verified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCB) Standards. Carbon Tanzania will be responsible for marketing these offsets on both local and global markets and capturing the best possible price for local producers.

NATIONAL CLEANER PRODUCTION CENTER (NCPC)

In Tanzania, the NCPC was established in 1995 under joint UNIDO-UNEP funding and continued its work from 1999 to 2005 with the financial support of the Government of Norway. In 2005, the Centre was legally established as a non-profit trust, with the aim of providing services in cleaner production, sustainable consumption, environmental and energy management to both the public and private sectors, with a particular emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises. To date, the Centre is active in industrial sectors such as textiles, food, chemicals, beverage, leather, pulp and paper.

Since its establishment, the NCPC has:

• Conducted 17 training sessions, trained 361 national experts on cleaner production. Organized 53 seminars, workshops and other awareness raising activities for more than1, 500 representatives from key stakeholder groups including governmental, non-governmental and private organizations.
• Provided assistance to 43 companies and trained 189 company experts
• At enterprise level, contributed to improved working conditions and safety, decreased pollution output, more efficient use of resources, and improved product quality

The NCPC has successfully achieved its own legal status, with the aim of promoting cleaner production nationally and providing services that meet industry’s demands and requirements. As the Executive Secretariat for the African Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP), the Centre has also taken on a key role in promoting regional cooperation and experience sharing. Overall, the UNIDO-UNEP National Cleaner Production Centers and programs have been established in 47 countries. In 2009, the partners agreed to expand and scale up the global networking activities of the NCPCs.

TANZANIA FOREST CONSERVATION GROUP (TFCG)

The Tanzania Forest Conservation Group is a Tanzanian non-governmental organization with 25 years of experience of forest conservation in Tanzania. TFCG’s mission is to conserve and restore the biodiversity of globally important forests in Tanzania for the benefit of the present and future generations of Tanzanians. Through TFCG’s five programmes: advocacy, participatory forest management, environmental education, community development and research, TFCG has succeeded in rolling out innovative and high-impact solutions to the challenges facing Tanzania’s forests and the people that depend on them. Suggested citation: TFCG (2009).

MJUMITA is a national network of community groups involved in participatory forest management. The network provides a forum for capacity building, advocacy and communication for these groups. MJUMITA currently has 75 affiliated local area networks, which are made up of Village Natural Resource Committees (VNRC) and Environmental User Groups. MJUMITA’s members are present in 23 districts, 318 villages and representing around 500 user groups or VNRCs involved in participatory forest management across Tanzania. MJUMITA has been operational since 2000 and was officially registered as an independent NGO in 2007. 

THE LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) is parastatal organaisation under the ministry of energy and minerals(MEM) established in 1964. The company s core business is generation transmission and distribution of power.

TANESCO has been a victim of climate change where facing the problem of insufficient water for power generation in various dams like kidatu and mtera especially in year 2009/2010.

The national climate strategy present on opportunity to address climate change, adaptation and participate in the global effort to reduce GHGs emission in the context of sustainable development

TANESCO adapted to energy mix (hydro, gas, geothermal, solar, wind, and coal) to avoid vulnerability to climate change.

In collaboration with rural energy agency has promoted rural electrification using in grid and off grid .Cost of clean hampers rapid expansion and use of low carbon technologies

TANESCO’s and energy sector success is contributed by among others public funding as well as support of the private investor under PPP and IPP.

Reiterate Tanzania’s commitment to address climate change. The country is amongst the highly vulnerable group of the countries that are affected by the climate change.

The company fights to improve the energy availability to reduce the deforestation, land degradation and emission of carbon that is harmful to human and other organisms.

The company now established the project of supplying the power in rural area (MPANGO WA UMEME VIJIJINI 2013. 


KILIMANJARO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT TRUST FUND.

This projects deals with conserving environment in Kilimanjaro specifically, whereby the mountain is a source of income to the Tanzania government. Through conservation of environment the reduction of carbon in the environment achieved well.

Mount Kilimanjaro is a Biosphere reserve and a World Heritage Site. For generations it has been a major source of the sweet drinking water, traditional small holder irrigation and power generation for the National Grid. The Pangani Water Basin Development System also depends on water from Kilimanjaro's rivers and springs as a major source. Acting as the major climate modifier of the weather in her neighbourhood, the mountain has attracted many visitors for various reasons including tourism and has therefore become an important source of foreign earnings for the Nation. Between 1989/90 and 1996/97 we have had an influx of between 10,000 and 13,000 tourists annually.

Apart from Mt Kilimanjaro, there are the sister Pare Mountains which are characterized as the Eastern Arc Mountains; these mountainss are truly ancient over geoligical time and compared with them, mountains such as Kilimanjaro are young. These are very old and have had a very stable climate; this has led to them having a high diversity of species in terms of flora and fauna. In the Pare Mountains there are a number of forest reserves particularly for Soil Conservation and Catchment Values.
These Mountains are among the 25 most important "biodiversity hotspots" in the world for the conservation of animals and plants. The "Hotspot" analysis recognises concentrations of species and high level of threats.GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES ON LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT IN TANZANIA

Tanzania low carbon development capacity building program (underway) is linked to the global UNDP program on LEDs where a number of countries are involved and responds of UNFCCC.

The following are the initiatives;

1. FOREST MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION’

Even though Tanzania have a very small carbon footprint, the country need to build a low carbon through forest management and protection. This include the agriculture and energy sectors. Tanzania planned to have a good management in forestry where there are some laws and policies of forest management that are used in implementing the forest management. Example “KATA MTI PANDA MTI”.

Also adopting of new farming technology so as to avoid using of pastures that increase the carbon in the atmosphere.

Afforestation in various places and high degree of protection on forest and agriculture areas also helps to reduce emission of carbon significantly. Tanzania is in a good position of benefiting from emerging, reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).Simon. I. G. (1991)

2. SWITCHING TO MODERN FUEL IN THE HOUSEHOLD SECTOR

Due to forecast demand growth switching to modern fuel such as LPS is an important part of the solution for safeguarding forests, and reducing co-benefits include cleaner, modern energy for cooking particularly for a growing urban population. Tanzania have tries their best to use environmental friend fuel to avoid high emission of carbon in the atmosphere. Instead of concentrating much in the use of charcoal, fire wood and coal Tanzania nowadays also we use the rigidified petroleum gas.

3. RENEWABLE GENERATION

Tanzania has long invested in renewable generation through the development of hydro, generation. There is now the potential to assess opportunities for other renewable source of energy including wind, solar and geothermal. However investors will need to be incentivized through the tariff structure and be able to effectively use the carbon financing mechanisms. Promotion of solar home systems is already being developed. Mitigating the problems of affordability will be key to seeing this technology disseminated widely in rural areas. All these helps in protecting the environment from carbon emission.

4. IMPROVED PRODUCTION AND USE OF BIOMASS ENERGY TO SAFEGUARD FOREST RESOURCES

Linked to REDD funding, the economy wide benefits of such a move could be significant. It would also have strong co-benefits such as reducing health impacts to households, saving fuel costs, developing the local manufacturing economy and safeguarding biodiversity and associated forest industries. The use of biomass fuels and bio based fuel produce can reduce oil and gas import and improve environment quality. Biomass can offset fossil fuel such as goal, natural gases, gasoline, diesel oil and fuel oil.

At the same time, it’s use can enhance and foresting new industries making bio based products. Some energy can be met by solar, wind, wood and biomass present are viable short and midterm solution. All these helps in reducing the emission of GHGs.

Tanzania today have also invested in the use of biomass as a source of fuel mostly at domestic level.

5. DESTOCKING

By reducing the high number of cattle which enteric fermentation which increase the amount of methane in the atmosphere by distributing the number of cattle in different areas so that to avoid the high concentration of manua decompose and become the source of methane gas. For example beef cattle account for about 70% of methane gas and dairy cattle account for about 25% of those methane emission. The reduction of these cattle also helps in mitigation in reducing emission of methane gas in the atmosphere. This project of reducing cattle in Tanzania is mostly practiced in Dodoma.

CHALENGES OF IMPLIMANTING EXISTING STRATEGIES IN TANZANIA

• Inadequate funding for activities at both local and national level. the planned project lack the financial support from the government in implementing the strategies
• Lack of specific national climate change policy in the country. The government failed to formulate an appropriate and effective policy in the country towards climate change
• Inadequate awareness of climate change issues (lack of education)
• Inadequate technologies in implementing some of the projects. this is due to the fact that some projects requires high technologies for example carbon capture and geological storage project
• Excessive Poverty in some of Tanzanian villages which leads them to depend much on natural resources which lead to further destruction
• Shortage of alternative source of energy for example wind energy and gases
• Remoteness of some areas which make difficulty in reaching them for education to the local community concerning with environment conservation
• Culture and customs of local community which may be harmful to the environment, example some tribes practices in burning the grasses and trees during summer season for hunting benefit, defense from dangerous animals and for pastoralism advantage, where they believe that the new grasses will grow during the winter season.
• Population increase in local community which makes more requirements on resources to meet the present number of people. (Simon, I. (1991)

CONCLUSION

Low carbon development strategies(LCDs) should be a catalyst to forest sustainable development in developing countries where people should encouraged to plant trees and conserve the environment by establishing the small groups of environments conservation and insure that there is enough security in those area that are surrounded by the forest.

Developed countries should assist developing countries in preparation and implementation of LCDs by funding them and training the environment conservation and preservation expertise, this will lead the developing country to reach the aim of reducing emission of carbon and lowering the harmful carbon that exist in the atmosphere. Awareness creation and capacity building should be a part and parcel of LCDs adoption process.

REFERENCES

BRAY, D& BARRY, D.( 2010) .Sustainable Forest Management as a Strategy to Combat Climate Change: Lessons from Mexican Communities. Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible (CCMSS), Rights and Resources.

Eliasch, J. (2008).Climate Change: Financing Global Forests: The Stationery Office Limited (UK).

Manyika, F.(2014). Paper presentation at the kick- off workshop on low carbon development (LCD) in Tanzania.

Oxford dictionary (2008) oxford learners New York and sons limited, Hong Kong

Stewart, J. (2008).Forest management solution for mitigation climate change. United state of America

Waugh, D. (1990). Geography an Integrated approach: United Kingdom

Suggested citation: TFCG 2009. Making REDD work for people and forests in Tanzania. Lessons learnt from participatory forest management in Tanzania. Dar es Salaam

Simon, I. (1991). Earth, Air and Water: Resources and Environment in the Late 20^th Century. Arnold, Seven oaks.

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Robert ,S. (1999). Environmental conservation. Princeton university. New York