Indigenous Maasai pastoralists in Tanzania view carbon credit projects, driven by global powers, as a new form of land dispossession.
The Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) reports communities are being pushed off ancestral lands via intricate financial agreements.
These deals compel them to alter traditional grazing for carbon credits, a concept many find perplexing.
Two major projects, backed by Volkswagen ClimatePartners and The Nature Conservancy, cover nearly two million hectares.
Maasai communities are pressured to adopt unfamiliar grazing practices for potential revenue.
Many Maasai feel deceived, alleging they were pressured into signing contracts without full understanding of the long-term consequences.
Promises of development have not clarified what they are relinquishing.
Critics argue these initiatives restrict grazing, impose fees, and monitor livestock, effectively pushing Maasai off their land through financial contracts.
Opaque contracts, often in English or complex Swahili, raise significant concerns.
Signing bonuses offered are minimal compared to anticipated investor profits from carbon trading.
MISA highlights severe flaws in the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, with many elders excluded from crucial discussions.
They advocate for a five-year moratorium on carbon projects to ensure communities fully comprehend the implications and demand stronger legal protections.
MISA insists projects must be based on genuine informed consent, not deception, as current contracts grant excessive control to project administrators.