arboRise Foundation and GUIDRE Reforest 4,400 Hectares in Guinea with Women's Cooperatives

The arboRise Foundation, in partnership with GUIDRE, has reforested 4,400 hectares in Guinea since 2021, empowering local women to collect seeds from 40 native tree species. This initiative, aimed at long-term sustainability, utilizes carbon credits and involves over 1,000 families across 43 villages.

Women earn approximately $115 monthly, significantly above Guinea's minimum wage, which helps them avoid high-interest loans during food shortages. In 2024, arboRise reforested an additional 567 hectares and initiated a 1,100-hectare project in neighboring Beyla prefecture.

Community cooperatives, led by elected committees with majority women, determine revenue distribution from carbon credits based on local customs. As of October 2025, carbon credit payments began to be distributed to 207 landowning families. The project aims to combat climate change and improve livelihoods while restoring biodiversity in Guinea, which has lost 2.3 million hectares of tree cover since 2001.