Conserving 250,000 Acres of Tanzanian Rainforest

ARC's 2009-2010 annual report is ready for viewing on ARC's website (just follow the link below). This annual report is part of our ongoing commitment to better communicate and share with you our grassroots work with 146 villages in the Eastern Arc and coastal forests of Tanzania that are working together to conserve 250,000 acres of rainforest. Also be sure to keep your eyes out for our new social media campaign that will launch in early January - we'll be posting, tweeting, and blogging all the latest news from the field (and, of course, sharing regular reports here on the GlobalGiving website, as well as adding some great new projects).

A few highlights of what we have accomplished during the past two decades: 

• Planted 10 million trees, with the goal of planting another 3 million trees during the next two years;
• Introduced fuel-efficient cook stove to 4,000 households: these environmentally friendly stoves use 50 percent less wood than traditional ones;
• Launched environmental education programs in 200 primary and secondary schools; and
• Established 47 Village Forest Reserves that are building the capacity of village natural resource committees to sustainably manage their forests.

As ARC approaches its 20^th anniversary in 2011, we hope that we can count on your continued support to help make our next two decades even greater than the first. So far, your support through this GlobalGiving project has helped ensure that 850 acres of rainforest remain standing - thank you for making this possible. 

From all of us at ARC, happy holidays and thank you so much for your support! 

Links:

• ARC 2009-2010 Annual Report

• ARC Annual Report (PDF)
  

Thank you to all our donors who have generously supported ARC, helping us win GlobalGiving's "Green Challenge" this summer and earn a permanent spot on their website to feature this project (and others in the future!). We have raised over $6,000 to date, which will conserve 780 acres of Eastern Arc rainforest - approximately the size of Central Park!

This project is currently supporting the conservation of the Ruvu South Forest Reserve (in total ARC supports over 140 villages in eight mountain and coastal regions). Ruvu South is under great threat from illegal logging and charcoal production due to its close proximity to the major urban center of Dar Es Salaam. Conservation activities include education and advocacy around advancing Joint Forest Management (JFM) - a forest management practice that involves both government and local community stakeholders. Environmental education events and tree planting are integral to the process. 

We also wanted to let you know that from October 12th through October 21st GlobalGiving will be matching all donations made to this project: 

• $10 - $499 = 30% match
• $500 - $999 = 40% match
• $1,000 - $2,500 = 50% match

Please help us spread the word to your friends and networks - this is a great opportunity to leverage funds and conserve many more acres of rainforest. 

Many thanks for your continued support of ARC!

Links:

• ARC website