Wildlife Works is a conservation organization that aims to implement market-based solutions to protect endangered wildlife, fund sustainable development, and fight climate change by stopping emissions from deforestation.[1][2][3][4] The company operates on the principle that wildlife conservation must be economically beneficial for local communities. Its conservation activities are funded by the sale of carbon credits.

As of 2023, Wildlife Works is the largest carbon project developer in Africa.[5] It was the first company to achieve verification of an avoided deforestation REDD+ project under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCB).[6]

History

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Wildlife Works' founder, Mike Korchinsky, began his career by co-founding Axiom Management Consulting, which was sold in 1995 to Cambridge Technology Partners (Novell).[1]. Korchinsky's background in management consulting informed his approach to identifying and addressing systemic issues in wildlife conservation[1]

Mike Korchinsky founded Wildlife Works after a 1996 trip to Kenya where he observed conflicts between wildlife and rural communities[1]. He developed a model aiming to create sustainable economic alternatives to poaching and deforestation.

In the late 1990s, Wildlife Works established the Rukinga Sanctuary in Kenya's Kasigau Corridor between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks[2]. The dry-land forest of the Kasigau Corridor had become degraded by cattle overgrazing, clear cutting of trees for charcoal and illegal hunters easily accessing the land. The company built an eco-factory producing sustainable apparel,[7] creating local jobs in the factory as well as jobs protecting wildlife and producing eco-charcoal. These initiatives aimed to reduce pressure on wildlife and forests.

In response to new developments with the United Nation's REDD+ initiative,.[8] where carbon markets could now have a role in financing forest conservation, Wildlife Works expanded into carbon markets in 2008[6]

Current REDD+ Projects

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The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Kenya protects over 200,000 hectares of dryland forest, which is habitat for hundreds of species including savannah elephants, grevy's zebra, painted dogs, and more.[9][10] It involves partnerships with local communities and focuses on sustainable development.

In 2011, Wildlife Works launched the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, protecting over 300,000 hectares of rainforest, which is habitat for critically endangered bonobos, forest elephants, and pangolins.[11] In 2018 the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project was the first to be nested within a jurisdictional program.[12]

The company began work in Colombia in 2018, providing technical assistance to USAID-funded REDD+ projects.[13] It has since initiated four community-owned projects in the Amazon and Pacific regions of Colombia[14][15][16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Dvorak, Phred (30 Oct 2023). "He Pioneered Carbon Offsets to Save Tropical Forests. Now the Market Is Collapsing". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Yee, Amy (8 June 2016). "Changing Kenya's Landscape for Wildlife and Jobseekers". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Labre, Leticia (27 Nov 2021). "The corporate world's race to net-zero hinges on tiny villages in the DR Congo". Fortune Magazine.
  4. ^ "Wildlife Works". Wildlife Works.
  5. ^ "Voluntary Carbon Market Developer Overview | 2023". Abatable. 28 Feb 2024.
  6. ^ a b "How to protect forests and wildlife while surrounding communities benefit—the first REDD+ project in the world". United Nations Environment Program. 25 Oct 2019.
  7. ^ Cernasky, Rachel (30 July 2020). "Inside the Kenyan apparel factory that doubles as a wildlife reservation". Vogue Business.
  8. ^ "About REDD+". United Nations REDD-Programme. 3 May 2021.
  9. ^ "The Kasigau Corridor REDD Project – Phase I Rukinga Sanctuary". Verra.
  10. ^ "The Kasigau Corridor REDD Project - Phase II The Community Ranches". Verra.
  11. ^ "The Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project". Verra.
  12. ^ "Fact Sheet: Mai Ndombe Redd+ Initiative in DRC". The World Bank. 16 March 2018.
  13. ^ "BIOREDD+ portfolio". Climate Links.
  14. ^ "ASATIQ Vaupés Maloca REDD+ Project". Verra.
  15. ^ "ASATRIZY Vaupés Maloca REDD+ Project". Verra.
  16. ^ "Bajo Atrato REDD+ Project". Verra.
  17. ^ "Origen Atrato-Baudó REDD+ Project". Verra.