Following a careful review of stakeholder consultation feedback, Verra has decided to proceed with the ongoing major revision of VM0032 Methodology for the Adoption of Sustainable Grasslands through Adjustment of Fire and Grazing, v1.0 in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. The revised version (v2.0) will more closely align Verra’s methodological framework for quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) and other greenhouse gas benefits in grassland systems with the quantification requirements under VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management and VMD0053 Model Calibration, Validation, and Uncertainty Guidance for Biogeochemical Modeling for Agricultural Land Management Projects, v2.1. This decision reflects Verra’s commitment to ensuring robust, transparent, and scientifically credible quantification in all its carbon accounting approaches.

This planned approach addresses a key limitation in the current VM0032 approach, which allows model validation against cross-sectional SOC stock data as measured at one point in time and does not require demonstration of performance in predicting SOC stock changes over time. Under the updated approach, which is aligned with VM0042 and VMD0053, projects will need to validate the applied model against temporal SOC stock change data, comply with standard procedures on model processes and inputs, and conduct explicit quantification of uncertainty, thereby ensuring that model outputs more reliably reflect the impact of improved agriculture land management practice adoption on the ground.

As a result, Verra will not integrate VM0032 into VM0042, as this would go beyond the scope of the current revision of VM0042 and require substantial additional revisions, particularly with respect to applicability conditions, baseline setting, additionality, and fire management quantification.

The release of VM0032, v2.0 will build on Verra’s broader efforts to strengthen sustainable grassland methodologies and consolidate them, including the previously inactivated VM0026. The aim is to improve consistency and enhance confidence in the environmental integrity of grassland carbon projects.

Upon publication, Verra plans to submit VM0032, v2.0 to the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) for a review of the methodology’s adherence to the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs).

In parallel, Verra will continue engaging independent experts to assess additional or alternative longer-term options for grassland methodologies, including the potential development of new accounting approaches for soil organic carbon stock changes that also ensure high integrity while improving applicability across diverse systems.

Verra will communicate directly with project proponents regarding any implications and next steps for their projects.

Please contact secretariat@verra.org with questions.

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