Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI) is a Tanzanian NGO that was established in 2004 to promote forest conservation and economic development in the country. MCDI does this by empowering rural communities to take control of, manage and economically benefit from their forests through sustainable timber harvesting. MCDI is named after the East African Blackwood tree, which is known as &＃39;Mpingo&＃39; locally in Tanzania and is one of the most valuable hardwoods in the world due to its use for making musical instruments. MCDI now support communities to market and sell hardwood timbers in local, national and international markets. This income is used by communities to facilitate rural development and livelihood improvement, enabling them to become more self-sufficient and providing local beneficiaries with concrete incentives to protect their forests as economically valuable assets.