Transition Process by Project Status

All current Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation projects are required to transition to the new methodology. The exact timing of this transition will depend on (1) the current status of the project and (2) the availability of activity data for the jurisdiction in which a project is located.

Proponents are required to adopt VM0048 and VMD0055 at the next verification after jurisdictional activity data for the respective region has been available for six months considering the grace period below.

• If verification has been initiated before the six-month period elapses, certification may proceed with any previous AUD methodology (VM0006, VM0007, and VM0015) as long as verification of this project can be completed within one year of the start of the public comment period (when applicable, e.g., for joint VCS-CCB verification), within one-year of the opening meeting with the VVB, or before the end of the six-month grace period, whichever is the latest.
• Verification initiation is demonstrated by proof of VVB contracting and a complete draft monitoring report.

When a baseline is reassessed using an old methodology, the reassessed baseline is only valid for the verification process that meets the above requirements. Subsequent verification must include a new baseline and a transition to VM0048 following the VCS Procedure to Change Methodology Through a Project Deviation, v4.0 (PDF).

A project’s transition to VMD0055 will establish a new baseline. See Section 3.5.1 of the module for more information.

Proponents requesting pipeline listing with the status “under development” or “under validation” after jurisdictional activity data for the respective region has been available for six months must use the new REDD methodology. (This includes projects that were already listed as “under development” but for which project proponents requested a status change to “under validation” at this point.)

Projects that are listed with the status “under validation” before jurisdictional activity data for the respective region has been available for six months may proceed with validation using any previous AUD methodology (VM0006, VM0007, and VM0015) only if project proponents can complete validation of this project within one year of the start of the public comment period or before the end of the six-month grace period (i.e., six-month after the release of the jurisdictional data), whichever is the latest. Such projects will be allowed to verify using their registered baseline if project proponents can complete verification for this project within 18 months of the start of the public comment period or before the end of the six-month grace period, whichever is the latest.

A project’s transition to VMD0055 will establish a new baseline. See Section 3.5.1 of the module for more information.

Proponents initiating the project development process after November 27, 2023, and where projects are not yet, in any form, listed on the Verra Registry, must use the new REDD methodology after jurisdictional activity data for the respective region has been available to be allocated for six months. Until then, these projects are allowed to use VM0006, VM0007, or VM0015 for validation and verification following the grace period detailed above for projects under development.

When activity data are made available for AUD projects that already verified using VM0006, VM0007, or VM0015, proponents may update their project to VM0048 and requantify previously verified GHG emission reductions and carbon dioxide removals (reductions and removals). This requantification is only possible for vintages that are covered by valid jurisdictional activity data and when projects are eligible to the VCS Methodology Change and Requantification Procedure, v4.0 (PDF).