Kukumuty — Miombo Woodland Enrichment Carbon Project (Chibabava, Mozambique)

Kukumuty — from the Ndau phrase 'Kurarama Kuthemba Muty' ('we live and have hope thanks to the trees') — is a community-led Miombo woodland restoration project launched in 2022 by the Nhaumue and Mangunde communities of Chibabava District, Sofala Province, in central Mozambique. It is implemented by Spanish NGO Azada Verde together with Belgian carbon-project developer Climate Lab and partner organisation Reseed Indico.

The project enriches native Miombo woodland — one of Africa's most biodiverse but under-protected biomes, covering roughly 10% of the continent — by planting endemic species such as Brachystegia spiciformis, Julbernardia globiflora and Pterocarpus angolensis alongside agroforestry and beekeeping activities. In May 2024, Kukumuty became the first project in the world certified under Version 5 of the Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (PV Climate); lifetime carbon removals are currently estimated at more than 74,000 tCO2e.

Plan Vivo's rules guarantee communities at least 60% of carbon-credit revenue, which Kukumuty channels into beekeeping, schooling and water infrastructure. As a young project — its first annual report was only published in 2025 — verified carbon totals remain limited compared with the lifetime estimate, and long-term impact depends on sustained monitoring through future reporting cycles.

Read the full analysis: https://www.reseedindico.org/projects/kukumuty