Dahari
In the Comoros Islands, nature is under pressure following decades of deforestation driven by inequality and poverty. Our partner Dahari works with farmers on the island of Anjouan to restore degraded forests, secure critical water sources and protect key roosting sites of the Critically Endangered Livingstone’s Fruit Bat. Farmers who join the programme sign individual conservation agreements to protect mature native trees and restore undergrowth in their fields. In return, Dahari supports them with cash transfers.
daharicomores.org | Partner since 2023
Challenge
The Comoros Islands off the East Coast of Africa are home to many plant and animal species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world thanks to the archipelago’s relative isolation. However, this biodiversity hotspot is under threat. The Comoros have seen one of the world's highest deforestation rates over the past 30 years, driven by poverty, population growth and the unequal distribution of resources. Anjouan, one of the Comoros' main islands, has lost more than 80% of its forests, and around forty of its fifty permanent rivers are now dry or only run intermittently. This has severely affected the islands’ unique ecosystems and species, together with the rural communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods.
Response
The Comorian civil society organisation Dahari has worked with farmers on the island of Anjouan for more than a decade to restore degraded forests, secure critical water sources and protect key roosting sites of the Critically Endangered Livingstone’s Fruit Bat. While its efforts have slowed nature’s decline, they have not yet been enough to turn the tide.
To help Dahari foster a more sustainable future for the Comoros, we are supporting it to develop a new, innovative conservation agreement scheme in which participating farmers commit to abstain from clearing woodland or cutting mature native trees on their plots in return for cash transfers. Through this approach, Dahari aims to conserve at least 1,000 hectares of native forest by 2027 – around a third of the remaining forest area on the island of Anjouan.
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