Mississippi Choctaws are joining the Tribal Land Conservation Initiative, a national program, to work with the non-profit National Indian Carbon Coalition. They are looking to diversify their economy using 25,000 acres of forested land as an investment in conservation says John Hendrix. The Director of Economic Development says trees naturally store the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. He says by growing more of its forest for the long term, they’ll contribute to reducing carbon emissions. And companies interested in conservation Hendrix says will pay them in what’s called the carbon offset market.
“It is a connection between a buyer who wants to improve the environment, to make a long term commitment to improving the environment and environmental sustainable practice. We’re in a position where we have forestry lands and we want to grow them sustainably,” Hendrix said.
They’ll follow an approved forestry management plan to expand tree growth over 40 years according to Hendrix. They've spend the past 3 or 4 years researching how they could create a new source of revenue to reinvest in their communities. Mississippi Choctaws have been relying on three casinos to sustain their economy. There are eight separate rural tribal communities spread out about 90 miles apart. Hendrix says the COVID-19 pandemic hit their communities hard just like other governments.
“We have three casinos. It’s our largest employer for the businesses we own and operate. When those have to close for a few months it hurts. So, you realize you need more diverse things that don’t depend on tourism. Again, that was a big driver for us to look at opportunities like the carbon offset market,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix mentions there are multinational companies like airlines, Amazon, Google and Microsoft are in the carbon offset markets. He estimates they may earn several million dollars annually. There are more than 11,000 Mississippi Choctaw Indians in the state.
