The Ntakata REDD project was initiated in May 2017 by Carbon Tanzania, a registered Tanzanian company headquartered in Arusha. The overall aim of the project is to engage and support local communities in the protection of their village forest reserves in order to contribute to the conservation ofimportant wildlife habitat and to mitigate climate change. The project is located in Tanganyika District, in Western Tanzania, an area experiencing dramatic landscape changes over the past decade, with detrimental effects on forests and critically important species such as chimpanzee. Chimpanzees rely on large expanses of forest to maintain their ‘fusion fission’ social patterns whereby troops split up and form new groups on a regular basis. Sufficient forest habitat and corridors to facilitate movement throughoutthe landscape are vital. Threats to these forest habitats include slash and burn agriculture undertaken by a steady influx of migrants from all parts of Tanzania as well as from across the country’s Western border.In addition, grazing by pastoralists, mining, and the development of new infrastructure (e.g. roads) negatively impact the forest, with consequences for water resources and livelihoods as well as for wildlife conservation.Carbon Tanzania, in partnership with the District Government, has identified 8 villages to collaborate with, and the Village Land Use Plans (VLUPs) of these villages form the basis for identifying the forest landscapes to be protected under the project. These VLUPs have been prepared through a participatory process and are legally binding documents forming a key input for village development planning. However, the implementation of these plans is substantially under-resourced; this is where the NtakataREDD project plays an important role in channelling carbon finance to support patrolling and other activities to enhance sustainability of the resources.An equally important goal is to work in partnership with local communities in order to have positive impacts on their livelihoods. Carbon Tanzania works with the Village Governments as the primary interface, thus utilizing existing governance structures. Carbon Tanzania (CT) will train and provide compensation to Village Game Scouts (VGS) to conduct regular patrols of the forest. Additionally, overall governance in the landscape is improved through support to the Village Government in the form of training and contributions to the village development budget. Other livelihood-related interventions include training and demonstration of climate smart agriculture techniques and reproductive health services, among others.As a result of the implementation of a range of project activities, the Ntakata REDD project is estimated to generate approximately 420,200 tCO2e in GHG emissions reductions on an average annual basis.