A water point.
Credit: Grid Arundel

By Mark Huxham, Anne Kairu, Joseph Lang’at, Rhama Kivugo, Mwanarusi Mwafrica, Amber Huff, and Robyn Shilland.

Read the full paper here.

Mangroves flourish along many tropical coastlines. Their exceptional ability to store carbon in waterlogged soil means they help the world fight climate change. We all benefit when mangroves are protected. But why should communities in poor countries make sacrifices for the sake of the rich world? Money from carbon markets provides one answer. Polluters can offset emissions by purchasing credits, raising funds for forest protection and local investment. Such ‘payments for ecosystem services’ (PES) projects are common on land but rare for mangroves. We looked at two such projects in Kenya, including Mikoko Pamoja, the first one to sell carbon credits from mangroves.

Justice demands those who work to sustain the forests should be fairly rewarded. What this means in practice is hotly debated. Critics argue putting a price on nature may distort traditional values and influxes of cash to poor communities can lead to corruption. The many stakeholders in these projects, including scientists, buyers, sellers, carbon standards, local people and wildlife, all have different interests. Whilst some thinkers believe there are ways to agree in principle how benefits should be distributed, others argue this is impossible and that understanding justice in context will always require balancing unique perspectives.

We explored these ideas with local people, observed how justice was interpreted and enacted in the communities and compared this with descriptions in project and broader literature. Local people were proud of their projects. They emphasised the importance of fair distribution of benefits, did not express concerns about market distortion of value and saw ‘elite capture’ differently from scholars. The complexity of the projects, involving measuring, pricing and selling carbon, made it hard for people to understand how benefits arise and are shared. We recommend a renewed focus on community benefit in PES projects and emphasise the need to carefully consult with the local people involved. A focus on the technical and scientific aspects of PES can distract from justice. Carbon buyers should understand that achieving justice, along with carbon sequestration, comes at a price, one that can and should be met.