The project entails a comparative study on incentive options for forest-based emissions reduction, biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement, comparing villages with REDD+/PFM (Participatory Forest Managment) and without REDD+/PFM and also comparing each set of villages over time. The project interrogates the adequacy of incentives offered by REDD+ pilot projects in winning effective participation of communities living adjacent to project forests.

Coastal forests are among the hotspots of biodiversity and therefore critical for conservation in Tanzania. However, most of the previous climate change mitigation efforts in Tanzania focused on participatory forest management in rural areas and did not address the major driving force of deforestation and forest degradation from urban areas. Further, coastal forests have not been given adequate attention in climate research and on their resources linkages with urban and peri-urban environment.