Big shake-up for nature-based carbon credit markets

• There are widespread concerns that most African nature-based carbon credits are not clear on integrity and revenue sharing, a situation that undermines the growth of the conservation finance mechanism and community benefits sharing.

• The Eastern Africa NbS Project Development Manual was developed by Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative and partners. It promotes high-integrity, fair credits through transparent benefit-sharing plans, open-source satellite and mobile monitoring, mandatory informed consent processes and market strategies. 

• Our take: Mandating validation and verification before credits are issued tackles long-standing issues in transparency and accountability…Read more (2 min)

Q&A: Conservation is shifting to private sector practises

• In an exclusive interview, Mike Korchinsky, founder of Wildlife Works, analyses these trends and their impact. He emphasises the need for involving the community in conservation finance.

• “Our work has always been about driving money to the communities as directly as possible so they can make the decisions for themselves about the economic value of conservation.” he said.

• Read the full Q&A here…Read more (2 min)

One could simply rent a forest for conservation

• Forests in Liberia are threatened by logging and agriculture which have immediate cash returns to communities. Carbon markets, seen as alternatives, are under criticism for lack of transparency and unfair sharing of benefits with the locals.

• The non-market model under Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement will enable communities to earn $1.50 per hectare annually, totalling about $75,000 each year across the project region. This payment can be reduced if forests are cleared. Compliance is monitored through land-use agreements and satellites.

• Our take: Even promising experiments like this may collapse without long term funding commitments…Read more (2 min)

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