African Wildlife Foundation, Tricorona Partner To Reforest Mau

Through AWF, Tricorona clients can now 'plant' a tree in one of East Africa's most important natural water towers

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 5, 2012 -- The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and Tricorona, a global company focused on carbon emission reduction projects, launched a partnership to restore part of the Mau Forest on Tuesday, May 29, 2012, at the Tricorona headquarters in Stockholm.

The partnership is in support of the restoration of the Mau Forest Complex, one of East Africa's most important water towers.

The launch was attended by Kathleen H. Fitzgerald, AWF's director for land and habitat conservation; Joanna Elliot, AWF's vice president for program design; Per Engstrom, climate partner for Tricorona; and Mattias Goldmann, a representative from independent think tank Global Utmaning.

The Mau Forest Complex (MFC), a Kenya government forest that comprises 22 forest blocks, is the largest block of indigenous forest in East Africa. The largest water tower in Kenya, the Mau is the source for 12 major rivers and 60 percent of all the water flowing into Lake Victoria, providing water for 4 million people and a diversity of wildlife. The past two decades have seen a major degradation of the Mau Forest landscape, however.

Through this partnership, Tricorona will provide clients with an opportunity to directly contribute to reforestation in the Mau. For US$1.50, Tricorona clients will be able to purchase a tree, which AWF will then plant in the Mau and, together with the local community, water and protect for one year.

"The restoration of the Mau Forest is of critical importance to Kenya and East Africa," said Fitzgerald. "To restore this vast landscape, Kenya needs innovative partnerships like the one AWF has entered into with Tricorona. We are delighted to have their support and partnership."

As a global developer of emissions reduction projects, Tricorona develops and buys a variety of carbon credits from emission reduction projects, many of which are traded on the international carbon markets. Tricorona's portfolio of climate projects represents emission reductions of a magnitude that corresponds to about half of the EU-15's combined Kyoto target. The company is interested in working with partners and clients across Africa desire to address deforestation and degradation (through tree planting and other associated activities that alleviate pressure on the forest and allow for forest recovery).

"Tricorona is committed to carbon reduction and climate change mitigation," said Engstrom. "We recognize the value of the Mau forest and are excited to provide our customers with an opportunity to help restore this forest with a credible and long-standing organization like AWF."

On Tuesday, June 5, Tricorona will market this partnership and the tree-planting opportunity in earnest. Together with Swedavia, a state-owned group that owns and operates 11 airports across Sweden, will sell tree sponsorship in honor of World Environment Day.

In 2009, AWF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kenya Forest Service and the Mau Interim Coordinating Secretariat to partner on rehabilitating the Mau Enderit Forest, an 8,600-hectare block of the Mau Forest that's located in the southeast section of the MFC. The Enderit block is the headwaters for Lake Nakuru National Park.

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About African Wildlife Foundation

Founded in 1961, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is a leading conservation organization focused solely on the African continent. AWF's programs and conservation strategies are based on sound science and designed to protect both the wild lands and wildlife of Africa and ensure a more sustainable future for Africa's people. Since its inception, AWF has protected endangered species and land, promoted conservation enterprises that benefit local African communities, and trained hundreds of African nationals in conservation--all to ensure the survival of Africa's unparalleled wildlife heritage. AWF is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Kenya and registered as a 501(c)(3) in the United States. For more information, visit www.awf.org.

Contact:

African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)

Kathleen Fitzgerald

Director of Land Conservation

+254(0)729406222

kfitzgerald@awfke.org