The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project protects nearly 500,000 acres of dryland forest in southeastern Kenya, securing the wildlife migration corridor between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. Prior to the project, the forested area was under intense threat from slash and burn agriculture, therefore regional advancement of alternative livelihoods and sustainable community development have been key to the project's realization. The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project became the first REDD+ project in the world to achieve Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) validation and verification with issued credits in February 2011 and was awarded Gold Level status by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCB) for exceptional regional benefits. It will avoid the emission of over 55 million tons of CO2e over the 30-year life of the project. Over 110,000 rural Kenyans benefit from the project, including 4,500 local landowners, through the distribution of carbon revenue, providing a low-carbon development pathway for the project area's rural communities. Job creation is the core conservation strategy the project employs nearly 300 local citizens as forest and wildlife rangers, plot sampling staff, horticulturists, eco-factory workers, construction workers, mechanics and administrative personnel that previously had to destroy their environment just to survive. Additionally, the project has created regional development of education, water access, women's empowerment and small enterprise business opportunities, while agricultural intensification methods stop slash and burn and enhance food security. The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project has also achieved tremendous results in biodiversity preservation and is credited with rebounding regional populations of endangered species like the African elephant, Grevy's zebra, cheetah and lion.