Unleashing ‘Green Lions’ to Restore the Congo Basin Rainforest
A Grand Engine for Carbon Storage
Deep in the heart of Central Africa lies the world’s last great tropical forest carbon sink—the Congo Basin rainforest. Spanning more than 240 million hectares across eight nations, this vast wilderness harbors extraordinary biodiversity and supports the livelihoods of more than 75 million people. Per hectare, it holds 30% more carbon than the Amazon, removing more than 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere each year. The Congo Basin is not just Africa’s green lung—it may be our planet’s last green lung.
Yet, over the last several decades, the pace of regional deforestation has been accelerating. Slash-and-burn agriculture is destroying wide swathes of this tropical biome, resulting in the loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, and more CO₂ in our atmosphere.
To confront this growing crisis, Terraformation has partnered with Iroko Analytics and the Centre Technique de la Forêt Communale (CTFC) to launch the Green Lions Initiative.
Inspired by Cameroon’s legendary national football team, the Indomitable Lions, the Green Lions Initiative is an ambitious reforestation project to restore nearly 16,000 hectares of degraded forest in East Cameroon.
Each partner brings their unique expertise: Terraformation oversees project design and execution; Iroko Analytics identifies and manages optimal project sites with a focus on long-term impact and compensating rewarding communities for ecosystem services; and CTFC contributes deep regional knowledge and execution to forestry management.
The project aims to plant over 17 million trees, representing up to 28 native species, and is projected to deliver around 5.4 million tonnes of CO₂e in Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) over a 40-year period (measured from the initiation of each planting cycle). Of these, more than 2 million will be cacao trees—intended to generate sustainable, long-term income for local communities and help cultivate a deforestation-free cacao sector.
Beyond Carbon Removal
In Cameroon, councils are a local administrative unit tasked with managing land use, public services, and community development, including management of Council Forests. They play a vital role in Cameroon’s progressive approach to decentralized forest governance. However, limited funding, staffing, and technical support have made it difficult for many councils to fully enforce regulations or implement sustainable land-use practices—despite their strong mandate and local leadership.
In the Ndélélé and Bétaré-Oya Councils of East Cameroon, economic hardships have contributed to rising deforestation rates. With limited access to sustainable livelihood options, many people depend on destructive practices like the use of firewood for energy and slash-and-burn agriculture (a method in which forests are cleared by cutting and burning vegetation to prepare land for farming; while the resulting ash provides a short-term boost in soil fertility, the technique quickly depletes nutrients, leading to declining crop yields and the need to clear new areas). This unsustainable cycle accelerates deforestation, reduces biodiversity, and contributes to long-term land degradation.
A recently burnt-down patch of forest in the vicinity of Yangambi in the central Congo Basin. In the background is the edge of the primary forest. The owner has planted a range of crops, including cassava and maize.
Local jobs: To help reverse this trend, the Green Lions Initiative will generate hundreds of local jobs—ranging from seed collection and land preparation to planting, ongoing maintenance, and the vital work of forest protection, monitoring, and evaluation.
Revenue sharing: A Community Trust Fund (CTF) will be established to allocate a portion of carbon revenues through a performance-based model. Disbursements will be made annually and will be contingent on forest health, helping to ensure the integrity and longevity of restored ecosystems. Seventy percent of the revenue will go to local councils to support social infrastructure, with the remaining 30% allocated to women’s associations.
Cacao agroforestry: Additionally, the project integrates deforestation-free cacao production. An umbrella cooperative will establish agricultural protocols, strengthen local governance, and enhance supply chains of companies who rely on cacao for their end products. Local farmers will be trained on sustainable cultivation practices, with hands-on demonstrations and ongoing technical support tailored to farmers’ needs.
The first step is seed collection and propagation in local nurseries, followed by planting. The nursery activities are scheduled to begin in 2026 (subject to evolving project planning), with 27M seeds of native trees to be collected and propagated (in phases) along with 2.6M cacao seeds.
Once fully established—which typically takes six years from initial planting—the agroforestry system is expected to generate millions in USD in annual income for the local stakeholders. Per the guidelines governing Council Forests in Cameroon, the majority of this income (60%) will be retained by the local farmers and the remaining (40%) will fund the budgets of the local Councils and government—things like schools, clinics, infrastructure and more, laying the groundwork for long-term, community-driven restoration.
As the project revitalizes the forests, it will also revitalize the livelihoods of local communities.
Cacao and native trees will be planted together, with native species providing shade and enriching the soil.
Ensuring Lasting Success
A community impact monitoring system will ensure the project delivers measurable social benefits. Data will be continuously collected and analyzed to track outcomes, guide management, and align with project goals. Ahead of each MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) cycle, findings will be consolidated into reports shared with key stakeholders—including Verra—ensuring transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making throughout the project.
Additionally, Terraformation’s proprietary Terraware software will offer real-time progress tracking of restoration activities for standardized, high-integrity monitoring. Field surveys, camera traps, and advanced tools like eDNA for tracking fauna and flora diversity are currently being assessed as methods of tracking biodiversity impacts. These will be reported through Terraware to ensure consistent data collection and quality control.
Leveraging Nature for Cost-Effective Carbon Removal
High-quality reforestation projects are in high demand but remain limited in supply. At the same time, corporations and investors face growing scrutiny to support only credible, high-integrity carbon projects. While many initiatives meet baseline registry requirements, few deliver the transparency, scientific rigor, and long-term impact validation that today’s buyers increasingly expect. According to Verra’s Registry database (as of February 2025), 113M total carbon credits are demanded on Verra, yet less than 3% meet Verra’s rigorous standards to meet this demand.
Terraformation meets this higher bar. Our projects are built on Verra’s VM0047 methodology for Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR)—currently the only ARR methodology eligible for labeling under the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) Core Carbon Principles (CCP), an evolving global benchmark for high-integrity crediting. We also commit to a crediting period that extends beyond 40 years and offer transparent, data-driven monitoring through our proprietary Terraware software.
This presents a rare opportunity to invest in nature-based carbon removals that are not only scientifically sound, but also rooted in long-term ecological and community impact—within one of the world’s most vital climate ecosystems.
We’re now welcoming offset buyers, investors, and funding partners to help scale this mission. Join us in revitalizing one of the world’s last green lungs.
About Terraformation
Terraformation is a native forest restoration company dedicated to addressing climate change by rapidly expanding the number of large-scale biodiverse forest projects. We equip forestry teams with training, technology, and access to capital, ensuring successful, certified carbon projects. Our expertise in capacity building, community co-benefits, and carbon market funding supports high-quality, investable forest projects that capture carbon, revitalize ecosystems, and enhance community climate resilience.
