Why Forests Matter
Wildlife
Habitat loss is the biggest threat to wildlife around the world.
We must protect the forests that these animals call home.
Buying carbon credits from Wildlife Works means you are helping to save some of the world’s most threatened species from extinction.
What we do for wildlife
Why is it that REDD+ projects like Kasigau Wildlife Corridor and Mai Ndombe are so valuable to wildlife?
Many species need large areas of pristine forest to thrive. Others migrate through long land corridors every year. Still others are always living in fear of poaching and illegal hunting.
You may notice a theme: habitat loss. That’s probably the biggest threat to most wildlife, other than hunting. And animals might even be safer from hunting if they had enough forest to hide in.
REDD+ and wildlife
Enter REDD+. By definition, it protects large areas of forest – that’s how it contributes to mitigating climate change. And that means it is perfectly suited to also saving wildlife.
Because they’re so large, these projects provide the habitat animals need. And that’s not all: just like for climate change, they also have to show that they are helping wildlife. This could mean a few different things, like:
-
monitoring wildlife numbers
-
patrolling to make sure there is no illegal logging or hunting
-
running rescue centre
-
proving that wildlife populations are stable or improving
In other words, they have to prove that they are helping wildlife thrive.
What does this mean for you?
When you buy carbon credits, your purchase goes directly to these projects. That means you’re funding the protection of thousands of species of animals, birds, and fish. And saving some of the world’s most threatened wildlife from going extinct.
So how do they do this?
REDD+ projects have earned special status for protecting wildlife. Most of them, if not all, are home to at least a few critically endangered species. You’ve probably heard of some of them, like the African savanna elephant or the Bonobo.
But those are just the well known ones; there are many, many more. And not just animals, either. Some projects also have glorious birds, like macaws. Others host rare fish, insects, and butterflies.
All together, REDD+ protects a who’s who of the animal kingdom: giant river otters, jaguars, birds of paradise, rhinos, cheetahs, lions, leopards, spectacled bears, gibbons, pangolins. There’s even an exceedingly rare bat.
There are many more that are not so famous. But they are just as threatened – and just as important. (See the biodiversity page for why!)
Wildlife Works projects and their wildlife
African Elephant (endangered. Africa's elephants have list over 60% of their population in the last 50 years due to poaching and habitat loss.)
Grevy’s Zebra (endangered. Decreased by over half in 30 years. Threatened by habitat loss, livestock competition, local hunting, and land conversion for farming and industry.)
Cheetah (vulnerable. With only about 7,000 left globally, cheetahs face rapid population decline from habitat loss.)
Lion (vulnerable. Populations have declined by roughly 43% over the past 21 years.)
Leopard (vulnerable. More than half of the population in East and West Africa is already gone. It has lost 30% of its range worldwide in the last 22 years. On top of that, there is poaching for body parts or the illegal wildlife trade, plus loss of available prey.)
Forest Elephant (critically endangered. Populations declined by more than 60% in the last 50 years due to poaching.)
Bonobo Chimpanzee (endangered. Fewer than 50,000 individuals remaining, primarily due to deforestation and hunting.)