The Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) has released a groundbreaking report, “Soil Carbon Credits: Another Wave of Land Alienation in Northern Tanzania?” raising alarm over the rapid development of soil carbon credit schemes threatening Maasai pastoralist livelihoods and food security.
The report scrutinizes two major soil carbon initiatives — the Longido and Monduli Rangelands Carbon Project (LMRCP) by Soils for the Future Tanzania Ltd – funded by Volkswagen, and The Resilient Tarangire Ecosystem Project (RTEP) led by The Nature Conservancy. Both projects target expansive pastoralist rangelands in Northern Tanzania, with contracts that could last up to 40 years.
Key findings highlight a lack of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), flawed legal frameworks, and threats to pastoralist mobility and land use traditions. MISA also reports widespread community misinformation, fears of land privatization, and risks of intra-community conflicts.
In response, MISA calls for an immediate five-year moratorium on all soil carbon projects in Maasai rangelands. The pause would allow time to develop stronger national and international regulatory frameworks and ensure genuine community consent. MISA insists that without these safeguards, soil carbon schemes risk becoming another form of land grabbing disguised as climate solutions.
The report emphasizes that carbon offsetting cannot replace actual emissions reductions in the Global North and urges a re-evaluation of carbon credit mechanisms that may perpetuate environmental injustice.
For more information, access the full report in English here.
You can access a short version of the report in English here.
Eine Kurzfassung des Berichts auf Deutsch finden Sie hier.
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