LCA Attends Carbon Markets Africa 2025: Advancing Laikipia’s Role in Nature-Based Climate Solutions

The Laikipia Conservancies Association (LCA), through its Chief Executive Officer Peter Lemerian Matunge, participated in the Carbon Markets Africa Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 21st to 23rd October 2025. The event brought together regional and global leaders in carbon finance, climate policy, and nature-based solutions, providing a vital platform to discuss how Africa can scale credible and inclusive carbon markets.

As a delegate, the CEO engaged with experts, policymakers, and development partners on how Laikipia’s conservancies can meaningfully participate in carbon markets not just as carbon sinks, but as active players in climate-smart economies that benefit local communities.

Key Themes from the Conference

1. Building Integrity in African Carbon Markets:Discussions emphasized the need for transparency, community benefit-sharing, and adherence to high environmental and social safeguards in all carbon credit initiatives.

2. Financing Nature-Based Solutions:Delegates explored opportunities for linking conservation landscapes such as Laikipia to global carbon financing frameworks to unlock investment in rangeland restoration, reforestation, and climate-resilient livelihoods.

3. Empowering Communities Through Climate Action:A strong focus was placed on ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are at the center of climate finance models, with tangible returns reaching the people who steward the land.

4. Partnerships for Scale and Impact:The conference showcased examples of successful collaborations between governments, NGOs, and private investors that could serve as models for Kenya’s conservancy network.

Positioning Laikipia in the Carbon Economy

For Laikipia, the conversations resonated strongly with LCA’s ongoing work to integrate rangeland restoration, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood resilience under a unified, community-driven conservation framework. The Association’s 32 member conservancies covering over one million acres already represent a powerful foundation for carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration, and climate-positive enterprise.

By engaging in such forums, LCA aims to ensure that Laikipia’s communities are equipped to access carbon markets responsibly, guided by robust governance, fair benefit-sharing, and alignment with Kenya’s Climate Change (Amendment) Act 2023 and National Carbon Registry frameworks.

LCA’s Strategic Next Steps

• Capacity Building: Training conservancy leaders and youth on carbon project design, monitoring, and reporting.

• Partnership Development: Collaborating with technical and financial partners to pilot carbon and ecosystem service projects.

• Policy Engagement: Working closely with the County Government of Laikipia and national agencies to ensure carbon initiatives are transparent and community-centered.

“Carbon markets are not just about offsetting emissions they are about unlocking value from the way communities care for nature. For Laikipia, this is about turning conservation into climate resilience and shared prosperity.”— Peter Lemerian Matunge, CEO, Laikipia Conservancies Association

LCA’s participation in the Carbon Markets Africa Conference underscores its commitment to linking conservation, climate action, and community empowerment, positioning Laikipia as a model for inclusive and credible carbon solutions in Africa.