Guinea-Bissau is the second largest mangrove site in West Africa, with mangroves covering nearly 10% of the landscape in what is considered to be one of the most exposed countries in the world to impacts of climate change. Mangroves sequester four times more carbon per pound than rainforests and store most of this carbon in their underlying soil. Mangroves also protect critical estuarine ecosystems from rising waters and waves and provide critical breeding grounds for marine species. The Community-based Avoided Deforestation Project in Guinea-Bissau is the first of its kind in the country. The project supports the long-term conservation of 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) of mangroves in the Cacheu Park and 106,000 hectares (260,000 acres) of dry-land open forest in Cantanhez Park. These areas are of high-biodiversity relevance around the Cacheu River estuary.  It is working to stop ecosystem damage by providing private-sector carbon financing to the local communities through the sale of Verified Emission Reductions that are verified using the globally recognized Verified Carbon Standard. The resulting Verified Carbon Units (VCU) are then traded on the voluntary carbon market. Proceeds from VCU sales are used to fund forest conservation, wildlife protection, and community development in one of the most under-resourced communities in the world.  The project is home to a community of 50,000 people across 34 villages. The project conserves biodiversity across mangrove and land-based ecosystems, and participating communities receive financing for their conservation efforts.  Without the project, the area would continue to be threatened by detrimental agricultural practices. Since its inception in 2011, the project has provided local communities with alternative sources of income that are key to significantly protecting these two critical Guinea-Bissau ecosystems. It has avoided 60,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year for a total of 302,043 tonnes to date.