The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) (external) has clarified that Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation activities that are (1) using Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) module VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation, v1.1 and (2) nested within a Scenario 1 scheme under the Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ Framework are included in its approval of VCS methodology VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, v1.0 as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) criteria. This clarification follows the ICVCM’s November 2024 approval of version 1.0 of VM0048 and version 4.1 of the JNR Framework, and it confirms that credits issued under all three JNR scenarios are eligible to receive CCP labels.

The JNR Framework is the world’s first accounting and verification framework for jurisdictional REDD+ programs and nested projects. It allows governments to generate greenhouse gas credits for their REDD+ programs and to nest projects and other site-specific, lower-level efforts within the program. Linking site-level forest conservation projects with jurisdictional goals and accounting helps ensure high integrity across all levels of implementation and can help attract private finance to projects that support governments in accelerating progress toward their long-term climate objectives.

The JNR Framework includes three carbon accounting and crediting scenarios. Under Scenario 1, the jurisdictional Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL) is allocated to REDD+ projects and lower-level programs within the geographic boundaries of the FREL to determine their baselines or FRELS. Carbon accounting and crediting only occur for the nested REDD+ projects and lower-level jurisdictional programs.

VM0048 and VMD0055 embrace years of scientific improvements and methodology design. They deliver significant improvements and innovation in project-level accounting by utilizing jurisdictional-scale data, including from the latest satellite and remote-sensing technologies, to allocate deforestation risk across the jurisdiction to the project level. Projects use this activity data to set the baseline for their projects, an essential step in the project registration process.