CommuniTree
CommuniTree is now the biggest project for tropical reforestation in Nicaragua. It combines farmer driven project design and innovative monitoring technology to create forests that last.
C Level has supported CommuniTree since we met Kahlil Baker, the project founder over a phone call 16 years ago. From bold vision then, it’s now a global model for best practice in nature based climate action. A community forestry and ecosystem regeneration programme working with smallholder farmers to regenerate degraded landscapes, watersheds and livelihoods. Rooted in partnership and local stewardship, the project supports farmers to grow native mixed-species trees on their own land, improving soil health, biodiversity, and long-term livelihoods.
Global regeneration flagship for climate, nature and people
Under Plan Vivo, the project is designed to make sure that farmers who grow the trees on their land get more value from reforesting their land than deforesting it. This approach combined with Taking Root’s unique technology platform made up of Taking Root’s mobile app and web app means every farm reforested stays reforested.
Rather than separating climate action from human development, CommuniTree recognises that resilient ecosystems and thriving communities are inseparable. Farmers receive technical support, training, and performance-based payments linked to verified carbon outcomes, enabling regeneration to become a viable and lasting land-use choice.
The programme delivers measurable climate impact through carbon sequestration while also strengthening food systems, water resilience, and local economies. By integrating agroforestry with community-led governance, CommuniTree helps shift land management from short-term extraction toward long-term regeneration.
Land area
18436 ha
Project Status
Scaling
Participant families
4954
Founding Partner
CommuniTree
Year Founded
2010
Certified Under
Plan Vivo Climate
TCO₂ – Total verified carbon removal
5,000,358
Project Type
Afforestation, Reforestation, Agroforestry
Key Species
140 indigenous tree species including Pacific Mahogany, Spiny Cedar and Orimba
What Makes This Carbon Removal Project Special
Tech leadership delivering a flagship project in terms of digitial monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) which along with project design, has enabled many businesses to confidently include CommuniTree in their carbon removal / net zero strategies.
Deep long term engagement from thousands of small holder farmers across landscapes achieved by a unique highly capable team that combines powerful technical and project management know how.
Through partnership with C Level, businesses are supporting this high-integrity nature regeneration project, delivering benefits for climate, nature and local people. This is happening across landscapes and across the whole country.
Community-owned regeneration
Landholders are active partners, not passive beneficiaries – restoring degraded land while retaining control, income and long-term stewardship.
Reforestation tech leader
Unique MRV platform combines satellite imagery and ground monitoring from 200 project workers. Uses the world’s biggest database of carbon sequestration rates for forest trees – unparalleled transparency and confidence in the project’s regenerative impacts.
Unique and motivated teams
Project forged on the vision and energy of two founders and the two organisations growing and working together to provide strongly capable technical work on the ground with project, finance and market skill sets.
Landscape-scale impact
Powerful community engagement means thousands of smallholder actions connect to restore ecosystems across entire regions, delivering measurable carbon sequestration and biodiversity recovery.
Watershed protection
Project is now working with a new focus on watershed regeneration across six separate watersheds across the country
Project Challenges
- Deforestation
Nicaragua has one of the highest tropical deforestation rates in the world. Reforestation can only work when the people who live and work with the land get real value from the trees they plant.
- Declining rural livelhoods and populations
Late rains and flooding are making life harder. CommuniTree creates forests which protect from extreme weather events and also provide security for smallholder farmers through higher and more reliable incomes.
- Scaling impact with new communities
Expanding restoration across landscapes without compromising local governance or farmer-led decision-making. For 16 years CommuniTree has successfully navigated this scaling.
Project Documentation
For a transparent overview of the project’s progress and impact, the latest annual report
is available for download.
Full technical documentation, including the Verification Statement and Project Design Document (PDD), is available to all partners through the dedicated Client Hub.