Written by: Luise Sasse
Norway plants trees in Tanzania, to achieve its own climate target – How is this possible?
The Norwegian company Green Resources has huge plantations of pine and eucalyptus in Uganda and Tanzania. They shall develop the region, provide new jobs, bring social and economic betterment and at the same time improve the climate. Sounds good, but we should have a closer look.
The forestation happens on community lands, where people gain food, fuel and medicine and where they keep animals, which is not possible anymore. This is a form of land-grabbing. Biodiversity increases due to the use of monocultures. Plants and (endangered) animals lose their habitat in the grassland. Different sacred places were destroyed already. Some people have reduced water availability. The agreements between concern and villagers are nontransparent and not easy to control. Many promises, especially concerning the social projects, are not kept. The working conditions are worse than expected. About half of the workers are paid below the Tanzanian minimum wage of 1.05 Dollars per day. Others are not paid steadily or even not paid at all. Contracts of employment are limited on a short period of time and do not give social and financial protection.
So, is this a good or a bad thing? Do population and environment profit or do they lose more than they gain? There is nothing in the world, which is only good or bad…
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