Karidja, Côte d'Ivoire.
Restoring one of the largest state-owned forests

Project type: Reforestation

Forest restoration
over 70.000 ha

28 Mt of high-quality
CRUs over 50 years,
starting 2031
Methodology VCS VM0047

Large biodiversity
co-benefits

Society for Ecological
Restoration (SER)
methodology

13 000 farmers
supported

Long-term carbon credit
revenue sharing
Social plan aligned with IFC
Performance Standards

Tree seedlings in a nursery for the Karidja project
Map showing the Karidja project area in Côte d’Ivoire

Restoring a state-owned forest
and empowering local communities

The Haut-Sassandra Forest in Côte d’Ivoire is one of the country’s largest state-owned forests, originally rich in biodiversity and home to many plant and animal species. However, in the early 2000s large areas of forest were cleared to grow cocoa, often illegally. This was compounded by weak enforcement of forest protection laws and economic pressures on local populations.

Based on a 50-year concession contract, Karidja aims to restore 70 000 ha of the Haut-Sassandra forest, generating 28.7 Mt of high-quality Carbon Removal Units (CRUs) (VM 0047). Beyond its climate impact, the project has a strong social plan aligned with IFC Performance Standards and a large agroforestry component (34 000 ha) to empower local communities and create jobs. To ensure a high impact on biodiversity, the restoration will notably use 16 different native tree species.

Tailor-made solutions for local communities

Karidja has defined 3 main programs, adapted to the profiles of the 13,000 farmers:

  • A “Cocoa agroforestry transition program” for the majority of farmers, who get income from cocoa plantations and food crops in the reforestation area
  • An “Accelerate Transition Program” for farmers cultivating cocoa close to High Conservation Value areas and for highly vulnerable people
  • An “Old cocoa / Swollen shoot program” for farmers with old cocoa fields, affected by a rapid yield decline and/or where cocoa trees are suffering

London Climate Action Week 2026 Panel

At London Climate Action Week, aDryada’s CEO Fabio Ferrari had the pleasure of taking part in a panel with Jacques Assahoré Konan, Minister of Water and Forests of Côte d’Ivoire, Jean-Yves Kpalou, Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Water and Forests, Jean-Dominique Bescond, Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist at the World Bank.

See the highlights in the video on the right. 

Timeline

  1. Forestry Management
    Plan & PDD
    under development     June 2023
  2. 50-year concession
    agreement
    with Government     Dec. 2025
  3. Start of operations Q2 2026
  4. PDD validated Q1 2027
  5. First carbon credits
    generated     2031