CSFEP Newsletter, May 2024

In this issue, we cover:

• Lessons from 30 years of commercial forestry in Africa
• OMT Architects:? Can mass timber help meet Africa’s demand for affordable housing?
• How philanthropy can catalyze the transition to sustainable building?

Translating Science into Action: Learning from 30 Years of Commercial Forestry in Africa

Developing wood processing facilities and clear offtake markets will be critical to unlocking the next phase of growth for commercial forestry in Africa, according to a new report from Gatsby Africa, Criterion Africa Partners, and Wellspring.

The report looks back at 30 years of commercial forestry in Africa, concluding that while significant funds have been invested in the development of commercial forestry in the region, these investments have largely underperformed.

Improving investment returns will be critical for unlocking a next phase of growth for the industry, argues the report. Moreover, substantial industry growth could position commercial forestry as a key tool to help the growing region meet rising demand for resources such as housing while simultaneously making a significant contribution to mitigating climate change.

In addition to its recommendation to invest more in growing the local wood processing industry and developing offtake markets, the report has two additional key recommendations to improve the performance of the commercial forestry market in Africa:? (1) connecting smallholders to industrial value chains (to catalyze growth in that sector) and (2) connecting the sector to carbon markets, to subsidize start-up costs or bolster the price competitiveness of forest products, particularly where forest products offer a low-carbon alternative to other materials. ?

Read the full study here.

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CSFEP and our Partners on the Ground: OMT Architects:? Using mass timber to build affordable housing in Africa

OMT Architects, a partner in the Africa Biobased Construction coalition facilitated by CSFEP, is making international headlines for its exploration of mass timber as an equitable and sustainable solution to Africa’s affordable housing crisis.

The firm’s recent and future projects in Zanzibar - - the Moyoni and Vizazi townhouses, the CheiChei Living Project (a multi-family, four-story apartment building complex) and the Burj Zanzibar (an upcoming hybrid-timber tower with 266 residences) have all provided opportunities to explore and support the future use of locally-grown mass timber to build affordable, multi-family housing. While additional value chain growth is needed before the region can fully capitalize on the opportunity to utilize Tanzania’s vast forestry resources to address its housing shortage, OMT Architects hopes its cutting-edge projects are raising the profile of mass timber in the region, creating additional demand that could drive value chain growth.

Building on this experience, the firm will next embark on a year-long research and design project with Gensler to identify additional mass timber affordable housing opportunities in Africa.

In the News: How Philanthropy can Catalyze the Transition to Sustainable Buildings

If we are to have a just transition – one that prioritizes equitable access to health and well-being alongside decarbonization--philanthropy must increase support for the built environment transition. So argue Amol Mehra and Liz McKeon of the Laudes Foundation and IKEA Foundation, respectively, in a recent opinion piece in Alliance Magazine.

“Nearly 40 percent of emissions but less than 4 percent of the funding. We can change this.” - Amol Mehra and Liz McKeon

The two point out that around the world, approximately 1.8 billion people are either homeless or live in grossly inadequate housing. More building is needed to provide the fundamental human right of healthy, affordable housing to all. However, the built environment already contributes nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, meaning our world needs to figure out (quickly!) how to build more housing in a low-carbon manner.

And yet, as a recent study by ClimateWorks points out, despite the urgency of this transition, only 4% of philanthropic funding currently goes toward the just building transition.

“Nearly 40 percent of emissions but less than 4 percent of the funding,” write Mehra and McKeon, “We can change this.” The two go on to argue that philanthropy has a special role to play in catalyzing change in complex systems and sectors, such as the built environment. “No other sector,” they write, “has the capacity or resource to set in motion the creativity, purpose, and clarity to solve systemic problems.”

Read more here.

About CSFEP

The Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) partners with communities to build radically new economies that balance ecosystem needs and pressing human needs. It helps regions identify how careful use of biobased products can provide a low- carbon solution for their biggest human challenges - while generating revenue for sustainably managing landscapes, especially forests. CSFEP is forest-first, so core to its model is a commitment to using natural resources at a rate they can be regenerated.

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We are always open to new partnerships – please contact us to discuss further.