Mariame Condé has been a ‘seed family’ in the village of Kofilakoro since January 2022. She harvests the Carapa procera (Kobi) species. Let’s hear her describe her experiences in her mother tongue, Konianke, translated by Sékouba Condé, one of the supervisors at our partner organisation GUIDRE:
My name is Mariame Condé, a seed family. This project has changed my life. In 2022, I was pregnant and collected 20,000 seeds. The project paid me 1,000,000 GNF, which was a relief. At the time, my husband had gone to Sigiri, a mining area, to search for gold, and our harvest was almost gone. I used the money from Arborise to buy food and clothes for my son.
In 2023, I received 1,000,000 GNF and bought two sheep. I also got a large tarp that makes collecting seeds easier. After the seed harvest, I used the tarp to dry my rice and for my children to sleep on.
In 2024, I received another 1,000,000 GNF from Arborise and increased my sheep count. I’m happy with this project because it helps us and fights poverty. I now have 7 sheep, which are savings for my children.
Our seed harvest is done, but I profit from my sheep, and we women have formed a group (CGC SABOUGNOUMA DE KOFILAKORO). Each year, we produce lots of peppers, okra, and peanuts. It’s thanks to this mega Arborise-Guidre project that our lives have changed.
I’ve never seen a project like this that gives so much money to our husbands (land families) and us, while helping create forests that bring water to our streams. Mr. Condé, you know that from 2021–2023, the stream you once crossed dry now has water year-round.
I love this project because it keeps its promises. We’ve always received everything in the agreement—and more, like fencing, tarps, machetes, plows… always on time.
One of the Cooperative’s objectives, and the main role of the Cooperative Committee, is to develop a carbon revenue sharing formula. Indeed, it is certainly not up to arboRise to define how these revenues will be shared among the cooperative members. This choice must be made by those most directly concerned, based on local traditions and customs.
But what will these criteria be? And how should they be weighted? Should effort and merit be taken into account, or should revenues be distributed evenly? Can fate be invoked to justify certain disappointing results? Etc.
Rather than discussing these criteria in the abstract, we opted for serious games, which are more effective. In concrete terms, we used pre-printed tarpaulins showing several scenarios, such as this one, where the aim was to distribute income according to the hazards suffered by landowners:
Each member of the cooperative committee had 20 (symbolic) coins representing the project’s carbon revenues and was tasked with distributing them among the 10 situations presented on the tarpaulin, then commenting on their choice in front of their peers.
Over the course of the day, a consensus quickly emerged on the principles of carbon revenue distribution, for example:
Compliance with the cooperative’s rules by each member must be rewarded in proportion to the effort required to comply with each rule. For example, certain ‘costly’ rules (installing firebreaks around plots) must be better remunerated than simple rules (installing barrier tape to mark plots).
Of course, those who make a significant commitment to promoting tree growth on their land should be rewarded, but it is also necessary to give a little to those who are ‘undeserving’ because otherwise they may leave the project.
It is necessary to (very clearly) reward the result (the density and height of the trees on the land) and not the effort that was necessary to achieve this result.
External factors (soil infertility, fires, etc.) should not be considered inevitable: it is the responsibility of the land family if they have chosen unsuitable land or if their land has been affected by fires.
Over the following days, we repeated the same tarpaulin exercise in the 18 villages, visiting two villages per day, with all the field families in the village and in the presence of the two members of the village cooperative committee. The idea was to show the field families the complexity of the Cooperative Committee’s task, and it also allowed everyone to express aloud what they were all thinking: in the end, it will be those who achieve results who will receive the most carbon revenue. Another reassuring lesson is that there are no real differences between the villages: the distribution choices are fairly consistent.
At the very end of the tarpaulin exercise, we asked each village, ‘How much of your carbon income would you be willing to share freely with your village?’ Most participants indicated that they were willing to share about 10% of their carbon income with their community. With this, the villages will be able to develop their infrastructure (wells, market gardens, health posts, schools, etc.).
We also discussed opportunity costs with the families involved. By lending their land for reforestation, these farmers are potentially foregoing income from their crops. We therefore worked with them to examine the details of hillside rice cultivation in order to understand all aspects of it (yields, expenses, crop duration, fallow periods, etc.).
In total, 186 people from 18 villages, representing 72% of all the families involved, took part in this deliberation process. For arboRise, participatory reforestation is not just an empty phrase. It is essential that everyone has a say so that they can all take ownership of the project.
In our experience, one of the drivers of change in any organisation or social group is its leaders. Our process also aims to facilitate the emergence of new leaders, legitimised by transparent elections in their villages and then at sub-prefectural level within the Cooperative. Of course, current political leaders (sub-district chief, mayor of Linko, village chiefs) are involved in the process. They welcome the momentum generated by the project in the region. Indeed, we are convinced that it is the networking of leaders (old and new!) that will be decisive.
In December 2025, we founded the Samana Family Land Cooperative to properly manage the common good that is the new arboRise forests (see our report here), and on 1 February 2026, a new General Assembly was held to elect the cooperative’s governing bodies:
In preparation for the election of the 18 members of the Cooperative Committee, each village had previously elected two representatives, one man and one woman. At the general meeting, we simply used a hat in which we placed 10 ‘Woman’ tickets and 8 ‘Man’ tickets. Each village drew a slip at random, and that is how we ended up with a Cooperative Committee made up mostly of women, all of whom are well known in their villages and therefore visible at the sub-prefecture level.
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In this regard, some circles readily express sympathy for the plight of African women. For our part, we see tangible signs of their influence that contradict this image of weakness. For example, in a village in the sub-district, the women deposed the village chief who was reluctant to have the village join the project! Another example: a woman from the village of Booko heads the hunters’ guild for the entire sub-prefecture, an extremely powerful position that carries significant customary powers. A third indication is that the requirement for a majority of women on the cooperative committee has never been challenged or even debated. To conclude this digression, here is an inspiring read on the subject: L’autre langue des femmes (The Other Language of Women) by Léonora Miano.
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…We then moved on to electing the five members of the administration. The cooperative members from each village first chose their village’s candidate, then the entire room voted by a show of hands for each candidate, and the five with the most votes were elected. We are very pleased with the election of Mr Mamady Kourouma, from the village of Farawanidou, as Director of Administration, and that Ms Mariam Sidibé from Sokourala will represent women within the Cooperative’s Administration.
Each candidate first introduced themselves to the Assembly, then the five members of the administration were democratically elected.
The day after the General Meeting, we organised a training session for the five members of the administration and the 18 members of the Cooperative Committee and their deputies to prepare them for their roles and responsibilities.
For the Administration, it’s simple: they have to manage the budget and organise the next General Meeting (thus relieving our partner GUIDRE, which had been responsible for this until now).
For the Cooperative Committee, it is more tricky: they must appoint surveyors to visit and assess each plot of land and then, based on their report, develop a carbon revenue distribution key. Indeed, it is certainly not up to arboRise to define the criteria for distributing this revenue. This choice must be made by those most directly concerned, based on local traditions and customs.
But what criteria should be used to distribute carbon revenue? You can find out here.
In Samana, we also need to measure the pre-existing biomass (baseline) on a sample, as was done in Damaro in 2025. We should have taken these measurements in 2024, the year the plots were seeded. Measuring these trees two years too late means that their biomass will contain two years of growth and therefore two years of carbon that belongs to the project but that we will have to deduct (since, as we remember, the project cannot account for pre-existing carbon on the land prior to project activities).
Measuring pre-existing biomass requires several steps:
EcoAct calculates the sample size, performs stratification, and randomly identifies the sample plots and GPS coordinates of the measurement point on each plot.
We update the standard operating procedure and train GUIDRE
For each of the 40 plots, GUIDRE’s measurement teams must
find the plot in the given village
mark the perimeter of the 600 m² circular plot with barrier tape
identify all existing trees, measure their diameter at breast height and height, and identify the species of each tree
send the data via the Kobo-Collect form
The results show that stratification, based on satellite images, is validated by the reality on the ground. It can also be seen that the number of pre-existing trees per plot is reflected in the NDVI value during the dry season (NDVI measures vegetation health via satellite). NDVI is therefore a relatively robust indicator of pre-existing biomass.
On average, we will need to deduct 30 tonnes of biomass from existing trees from our subsequent measurements.
Our reforestation project removes CO2 from the atmosphere, but what is the carbon footprint of arboRise’s activities? How much CO2 do the project’s activities emit into the atmosphere?
This carbon footprint is based on the Bilan Carbone™ methodology and lists all GHG emissions from arboRise and GUIDRE activities in Switzerland and Guinea for the two regions (Linko-Damaro-Konsankoro and Samana-Diassodou-Sokourala-Koumandou) during the 30-year and 20-year certification periods, respectively.
Summary of results:
This carbon footprint of 1,100 t CO2e will enable the absorption of 2,400,000 t CO2e thanks to the reforestation activities carried out by arboRise and GUIDRE in two regions (Linko-Damaro-Konsankoro and Samana-Diassodou-Sokourala-Koumandou) over a period of 20 and 30 years respectively. The project’s emissions therefore represent only 0.5% of the CO2 that the project will remove from the atmosphere.
Comments and potential for improvement:
The travel of GUIDRE teams in the field is, of course, the main source of CO2 emissions. In the long term, the use of electric vehicles will need to be considered and tested.
Air travel (project leader, auditors, partners, business visitors) accounts for 18% of the total (196 t CO2e). If all non-employees (auditors, partners, business visitors) were represented by only one person instead of two, this would save 72 t CO2e. This requires a change in standards and practices. When the Transguinéen railway is available, we will be able to replace internal flights with train travel.
Half of the input footprint is made up of meals for GUIDRE teams in the field, which are difficult to reduce unless they become vegetarian (meat footprint: 123 t CO2e). Other inputs with a significant footprint are fencing and tarpaulins for seed families.
A historic day in the sub-prefecture of Samana on 13 December 2025: Samana’s first cooperative, bringing together the 248 farming families of Samana, was founded in the presence of local authorities.
The 248 cooperative members were invited to gather at the Youth Centre in the commune’s capital. Such an event is exceptional in the region: most of the participants were very surprised to receive two good meals during the day as well as a daily allowance.
The Samana authorities were invited and the sub-prefect of Samana gave a very inspiring speech, which we recorded and broadcast on local radio. The main theme of the day was to explain ‘why create this cooperative’ (to better manage the reforested plots that are the common property of all families) and to prepare for the elections of the cooperative’s governing bodies at the next general meeting in March 2026.
The Samana Cooperative is already the second, following the creation of the Linko Cooperative in 2023.
201 participants gathered at the Samana Youth Centre. The building was just large enough to accommodate the assembly.
CGC trainings follow the “train the trainer” approach. To provide immediate support to seed families and field families in each village, the project sets up a Community Management Committee. This committee is made up of 10 to 20 prominent members of the village, who are often already responsible for specific issues (women’s groups, youth, health and hygiene, etc.).
In our project, the CGCs are responsible for
Supporting seed families and field families. The CMC coordinates collective activities (seed collection, sowing, etc.) and organizes peer learning activities.
Identifying best practices. The CGC identifies the plots of land in its village where trees have grown best and seeks to understand why, in order to recognize best practices.
Disseminating best practices within the village and between villages. The CGC passes on good ideas from seed families to other seed families in the village and does the same for field families. The CGC shares good examples from its village with other CGCs. The CGC is the driving force behind mutual aid.
Training. The project trains CGCs so that they can train families in the village.
Identifying equipment and infrastructure that is useful to the community. The CGC organizes discussions between seed families and land families to decide together what equipment and infrastructure are needed.
The collective equipment obtained through arboRise is managed by the CGCs. The CGC establishes a plan for using the equipment according to the needs of the seed families and landowners. After use by the families, they return the equipment to the CGC, which ensures that it is in good condition and carries out maintenance.
The CGCs coordinate health and safety measures. The CGC documents emergencies, accidents, incidents, and injuries related to the project reported by families. In case of an emergency, the CGC organizes immediate transportation to the Health Center.
Identification of disputes or grievances related to the project. Each CGC assesses the project’s impact on the community. It can express families’ expectations of the project and advise on measures to be taken.
Each year, the project organizes trainings for CGC delegates from each village. In December, the CGCs from the 20 villages in Damaro received their first training covering topics such as “climate change,” “carbon markets,” “brush fire prevention,” “the roles of CGCs,” “the grievance mechanism,” etc. The CGC delegates from the villages were very attentive, and the mayor visited the participants during the training to emphasize the importance of the project for Damaro and the communities and to urge the participants to listen carefully and learn as much as possible.
These training sessions are, of course, also an opportunity to listen to and discuss the participants’ concerns. This dialogue helps to adapt the project to any specific situations that may arise.
The training took place in the new town hall, and we had the honor of receiving a visit from the Mayor of Damaro.
As in Damaro, the CGCs in Samana and Diassodou received initial training. In Samana, as we are now in the second year of the planting cycle, we explained the role of the Cooperative and analyzed the contents of the agreements in detail, as this issue had been raised by the auditors during the validation audit.
The participants were very attentive and asked some very good questions.
As we have seen, manually measuring trees for verification purposes is very time-consuming. Furthermore, biomass is estimated using an allometric equation that only takes into account diameter and height.
What about biomass in branches? Is it sufficiently taken into account by equations, which are often not based on forest measurements, regardless of species?
Other dendrometric measurement methods exist, which generally use scanners (TLS: terrestrial laser scanner).
Numerous studies show that the accuracy of the measurement and the time required are similar to manual measurements, but this equipment is very expensive (CHF 60,000).
Since 2021, most iPhones and iPads have included a lidar (laser) scanner, and specific applications for tree measurement have appeared in the App Store. The cost is much lower than TLS equipment, and the mobility allows for the resolution of occlusion problems faced by fixed TLS. We wanted to test this approach.
There is already a wealth of scientific literature on the subject:
Based on these studies, we selected two applications to test. Unfortunately, ForestScanner andArboreal Forest only measure diameter (but they do so very well) and create a digital terrain model. We would have liked to see real 3D images of each tree.
We then tested two 3D modelling applications (3D Scanner app andPolycam), but the results were inconclusive: scanning a tree from all sides takes several minutes and it is still impossible to scan the tree from above, so the 3D image of the branches and crown is incomplete. Furthermore, when the undergrowth is dense, with lots of foliage (which moves in the wind), the scanner has difficulty working properly.
Conclusion: manual measurements are still more advantageous in terms of speed, cost and accuracy. But thank you to all the application developers who provide very useful tools for measuring monocultures.
With project validation almost complete, we can now begin the project tree measurement as main part of the initial verification process. As you may recall, we established a representative sample of 116 monitoring plots from among the 840 plots reforested between 2021 and 2024. Now we must measure all the trees present on the 116 plots covering 625 m², or 72,500 m² in total. This operation requires several steps:
Update the standard operating procedure and train GUIDRE via videoconference
For each of the 116 plots, the GUIDRE measurement teams must
find the plot in the given village
refresh the yellow paint in the centre of the plot
mark the 625 m² perimeter of the circular plot with barrier tape
identify each tree over 2 metres tall, mark it with a piece of coloured string so as not to measure it twice, measure its diameter at breast height and identify the species of each tree. This is a daunting task, given that there are around 100 trees in each perimeter.
send the data via the Kobo-Collect form
In the first two villages (Linko and Kala), the teams also had to count all trees taller than one metre and measure the height of each tree taller than two metres.
Based on our experience in Samana, we know that this activity is demanding because it requires concentration and precision in a difficult environment (rain, dense trees and bushes). Although we want to stick to our schedule, we do not put too much pressure on the teams in order to guarantee the quality of the measurements. After a period of adjustment, both teams are making very good progress.
It is difficult to define the perimeter of the plot 14.1 metres from the centre due to dense vegetation.
All 290 field-families in Linko received their “carbon revenues” for the first time, according to the distribution key proposed by the cooperative committee and approved by the Cooperative’s General Assembly. It should be noted that this is virtual carbon income, as the project has not yet generated any carbon credits. The amount distributed to beneficiaries is drawn from the project’s pre-financing.
To ensure secure payment, the project offered each of the 290 members of the Linko CR Land Family Cooperative the opportunity to open a bank account with Crédit Rural de Guinée. The project financed the administrative costs of opening these accounts through the CRG’s Kérouané branch.
The payment process went smoothly despite some technical difficulties encountered by Crédit Rural de Guinée (delayed payment from the Central Bank to CRG and IT problems related to the software used to distribute funds to individual accounts).
The Crédit Rural de Guinée team has set up a mobile office in Linko to reduce the distance for beneficiaries.
The share allocated to the villages, as voted at the cooperative’s last general meeting, will be handed over to the authorities of each village very soon in order to promote public utility projects.
