Seeking financial partnership
- Approx. 3,000 hectares of forest eligible for carbon.
- 11,924 hectares of rainforest in the process of being legally protected.
- 700+ community members to receive economic, social and environmental benefits.
The Yato Forest Carbon project was launched in 2022 with funding support from the Solomon Island Threshold Program and the project has progressed part way through its development phase.
The Yato community and project developers are now seeking new partners and supporters to help the Yato Carbon Project reach verification stage by the end of 2026.
Customary landowners from five communities in Yato, East Makira, are in the process of developing a community-owned carbon project in tropical rainforest under threat from logging.
The communities of Bagarai, Napuamarewa, Kereapena, Nasuahu and Hariga have been working together since 2016 to gain protected area status for almost 12,000 hectares of rainforest — making Yato the largest protected forest in Solomon Islands.
Makira’s rainforests are under constant threat from logging operations with timber concessions still encroaching onto the Yato Conservation Area as recently as early 2025.
Yato communities’ long-term vision has been to establish a carbon project in part of the protected area as an alternative to logging, and they have been working since 2022 to make this a reality.
Nakau and Live and Learn Solomon Islands have been working with Yato landowners to support the development of their community-owned carbon project, with support from 2022 to early 2025 from Solomon Islands Threshold Program.
The Yato forest area includes lowland rainforest and high mountain ranges with unique cloud forests. There are caves with cultural significance and many important Tabu sites.
Forests of Makira are home to 32 bird species, including the rare Yellow-legged pigeon, and 21 animals which are endemic to the island. There are also more than 100 recorded flora in the Yato forest area, with 21 plants only found on Makira.
