(Photo: Nyamukino Reserve, World Land Trust)
The Albertine Rift in western Uganda is one of Africa’s most important landscapes for biodiversity. It is also under significant pressure from deforestation, agricultural expansion and the fragmentation of natural forest.
For Carbon Balanced Paper, supporting conservation in this region is about more than carbon. It is about protecting forests that store carbon, maintaining habitat for threatened species and supporting local communities whose livelihoods are closely connected to the land.
A Global Biodiversity Hotspot
The Albertine Rift is recognized as the richest region for vertebrate biodiversity in Africa and contains more endemic vertebrate species than any other region on the continent. Research published in Biological Conservation found that the wider Rift contains more than half of continental Africa’s bird species and nearly 40% of its mammal species.
Within the Bugoma-Budongo forest corridor, World Land Trust reports that native forests in the project area are home to approximately 52% of Africa’s bird species, 19% of its amphibians, 14% of its reptiles and 14% of its plant species. The forests also provide important habitat for chimpanzees, elephants, grey parrots and other threatened wildlife.
These habitats are increasingly under pressure. Uganda experienced approximately 23% net tree-cover loss between 2000 and 2020, according to World Resources Institute data. Agricultural expansion, timber extraction and demand for fuelwood are among the contributing pressures.
Fragmentation is particularly important because isolated forests can lose their ability to support viable wildlife populations and maintain ecological connectivity.
Trees for Global Benefits
The Trees for Global Benefits (TGB) program, operated by the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST), combines forest restoration with rural livelihoods.
Established in 2003, TGB works with smallholder farmers to integrate native trees into agricultural landscapes. Many participating farms are less than one hectare. Farmers can continue growing food crops alongside trees while developing additional sources of income through activities such as beekeeping.
The program started with just 33 farmers and now works with more than 50,000, with more than two million trees planted according to World Land Trust.
Reforestation does not replace the need to protect existing natural forests. However, appropriately designed agroforestry can store additional carbon, improve agricultural resilience and reduce demand for resources from threatened forests.
Carbon, Conservation and Livelihoods
Trees for Global Benefits is also a carbon sequestration program. Carbon captured by participating trees is measured and verified under the Plan Vivo Carbon Standard, with carbon certificates providing an income stream for participating farmers.
The scale of the program is significant. World Land Trust reports approximately 5.97 million tonnes of CO2e in total carbon benefit between 2003 and 2023, approximately 27,297 hectares restored, and 892 terrestrial species protected.
These results illustrate an important point: well-designed climate projects can deliver benefits that extend beyond carbon.
How Carbon Balanced Paper Supports the Work
In 2024, World Land Trust brought Trees for Global Benefits into its Carbon Balanced program. Carbon Balanced Paper North America is part of the community supporting this work.
World Land Trust’s 2024 reporting identifies 75,000 tonnes of CO2e in Carbon Balanced support associated with Trees for Global Benefits.
Through Carbon Balanced Paper, organizations can balance the carbon impact associated with qualifying paper and print purchases while supporting World Land Trust conservation projects. The program is not a substitute for reducing emissions. Rather, it complements efforts to improve energy efficiency, responsible sourcing and overall environmental performance.
Protecting More Than Carbon
A healthy forest does much more than store carbon. It provides habitat, regulates water, protects soils and supports complex ecological relationships.
This is particularly important in the Albertine Rift, where climate change and continued agricultural conversion could further reduce suitable habitat for endemic species. Maintaining and restoring connected landscapes can therefore contribute simultaneously to carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and the resilience of rural communities.
The scale of Trees for Global Benefits provides a tangible example: more than 50,000 farmers, more than two million trees planted and nearly 27,300 hectares restored, within one of Africa’s most biologically important landscapes.
For organizations using paper and print, Carbon Balanced Paper provides a practical way to connect procurement decisions with measurable conservation work on the ground.
Learn more about the Albertine Rift – Trees for Global Benefits project and Carbon Balanced Paper North America at https://carbonbalancedpaperna.com/projects/uganda/
References
- World Land Trust. Albertine Rift – Trees for Global Benefits. Project information on biodiversity, agroforestry, carbon sequestration, participating farmers and conservation outcomes. World Land Trust – Albertine Rift project
- Plumptre, A.J., Davenport, T.R.B., Behangana, M., et al. (2007). “The biodiversity of the Albertine Rift.” Biological Conservation, 134(2), 178–194. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2006.08.021.
- Plan Vivo Foundation. Trees for Global Benefits – Uganda. Project documentation and certification information for the ECOTRUST Trees for Global Benefits carbon project. Plan Vivo – Trees for Global Benefits
- World Bank (2024). In Uganda, Communities Find That Economic and Ecological Advancement Can Go Hand in Hand. Information on Uganda’s forest loss and drivers of deforestation.
- Ayebare, S., Plumptre, A.J., Kujirakwinja, D. & Segan, D. (2018). “Conservation of the endemic species of the Albertine Rift under future climate change.” Biological Conservation, 220, 67–75. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.02.001.
- World Land Trust (2025). Trees for Global Benefits: Carbon Balanced in Uganda. Background on the inclusion of Trees for Global Benefits in World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced programme and the partnership with ECOTRUST. World Land Trust – Carbon Balanced Uganda
