A briefing for civil society and others laying out the risks to communities thinking about trading the carbon in their forests. It explains what carbon offsets and credits are, the problems with offsets and trading, and who might approach a community with a ‘carbon deal’. In particular it offers advice to communities, first for their internal discussion on whether to participate in the trade at all, and then on issues to consider when negotiating an agreement with a trader.
It is written for Liberia but the advice will also be of use to communities elsewhere. Readers are welcome to develop local editions for other contexts and can contact the authors for help with this.
There are very few cases around the world where communities have benefited from carbon deals, and in Liberia there is not yet any regulation or official procedure to govern these deals. Making carbon deals is risky and demands a clear and fair regulatory framework that builds on the Land Rights Act and the Community Rights Law to enshrine community rights.