WASHINGTON – Apr. 20, 2026 | Verra has approved the issuance of the first credits globally under its afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) methodology, VM0047.

The Brazil Cerrado 1 project (Verra Project 5511) can now be issued 230,120 Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) under VM0047, v1.0, which is among the methodologies approved by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) under its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) assessment framework, the highest global benchmark for carbon credit quality and integrity.

The large-scale ARR project is located across the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, and Minas Gerais, and is registered with both Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) Programs.

The project restores degraded cattle pasture, which was previously subject to repeated clearing cycles, through a combination of native ecosystem restoration and sustainable forest management activities that are certified under the Forest Stewardship Council.

“Afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation are essential to meeting global climate goals. This first approval under VM0047 demonstrates how Verra’s methodologies enable projects to deliver real, measurable, and lasting impact. The Cerrado is one of the world’s most important and most threatened ecosystems. This project shows how high-integrity carbon finance can help restore these landscapes at scale, while delivering real benefits for climate, biodiversity, and communities.”

Mandy Rambharos, Verra CEO

Over its first 20-year crediting period, the project is expected to remove approximately 7.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (around 364,000 tonnes annually) from the atmosphere, restore up to 25,000 hectares of forest cover, support local communities through employment, training, and livelihood programs, and enhance biodiversity conservation in the Cerrado biome.

BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group Senior Portfolio Manager Tom Hodgman said, “We are pleased to have completed registration of Brazil Cerrado 1, the first project successfully validated and verified under Verra’s new VM0047 methodology in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program and which has also been validated and verified with the Community, Climate and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) Program. This registration supports our strategic focus on the generation of high-quality, high-integrity carbon credits to support our clients’ climate, biodiversity, and financial objectives.”

Aenor served as the validation/verification body (VVB) for this project.

Contact:

Media Inquiries: Erdem Koch | media@verra.org

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Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources by working with the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards programs and tools that credibly, transparently, and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits.

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