Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project — Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands

The Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project, delivered by Nakau and the Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF), works with three Indigenous customary landowning tribes (Sirebe, Siporae and Padezaka) in South-West Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands. The Sirebe Tribe established the first legally recognised protected area in the area in 2019, covering 806 hectares of primary tropical rainforest.

The project aims to protect primary rainforest under Indigenous customary tenure using the Plan Vivo standard, generating verified carbon emission reductions while keeping land under community control and delivering direct community benefits.

Customary landowners and technical specialists jointly monitor carbon stocks, biodiversity and social outcomes every year, with independent third-party verification required every five years under Plan Vivo. Conservation is enforced through community-agreed resource-management rules upheld by paid forest rangers, with no displacement from customary land.

108,895 tCO2 of verified emission reductions have been registered for the Sirebe Tribe since 2019, at an annual rate of approximately 17,423 tCO2. The first community carbon payments were received in 2021. Revenues fund ten forest ranger positions, five tribal association roles, women's savings clubs with over 40 members, ten water tanks and sanitation facilities, and small business ventures in fisheries, mechanics, welding and baking.

The Siporae and Padezaka tribes are developing adjacent projects under the same Babatana umbrella, which will expand the total protected area beyond the Sirebe Tribe's initial 806 hectares.