Welcome to Verra’s Sustainable Development Download #5, with updates on Verra’s Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta), the world’s premier standard for certifying the real-world benefits of social and environmental projects.
First SD VISta Independent Evaluation Expert
Verra has approved the first independent evaluation expert for the SD VISta Program, Abhineet Kumar Jha.
Independent expert evaluation is an alternative option for SD VISta projects that do not, at a given time, have the necessity, resources, or experience to undergo validation or verification. Independent expert evaluation enables a project to demonstrate compliance with the SD VISta rules through ex ante and ex post assessment. A project that successfully completes independent expert evaluation can be listed as an SD VISta project on the Verra Registry and may make certain claims about its estimated or actual impacts.
Did You Know?
To date, Verra has issued 29.5 million Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) with an SD VISta label.
Project Spotlight: Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project
The Darkwoods Project protects more than 54,000 hectares of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. Developed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and registered with Verra’s SD VISta Program, the project contributes to following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation: The project manages the streams, rivers, and creeks that provide a valuable habitat for a variety of species including birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
- SDG 13 – Climate Action: The project implements improved forest management measures that reduce emissions by 124,847 tCO2e annually.
- SDG 15 – Life on Land: The project protects important habitat and refuge for rare species, including mountain caribou, grizzly bears, migrating birds, and many more.
Along with SD VISta, the Darkwoods Project is registered with two other Verra standards programs: the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) Program.
To learn more about the Darkwoods Project, visit the Verra Registry.
“Halfway to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda, we are leaving more than half the world behind. We have stalled or gone into reverse on more than 30 percent of the SDGs. Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been.”
A Look Ahead
Verra staff participate regularly in events. For a comprehensive list, visit our events page, which is continually updated.
If you would like to invite a Verra team member to speak at your event, please contact events@verra.org.
In the next few months, our team looks forward to connecting with stakeholders at multiple events, including Circularity and GreenFin, hosted by Greenbiz.
Don’t miss Circularity 23, the leading convening of professionals building the circular economy (June 5-7, Seattle)!
Join us and the growing community of more than 1,200 visionaries and practitioners to move beyond incremental action, catalyze systems change, and accelerate the circular economy. Apply the 10% discount code C23VERRA when you register today: http://bit.ly/3HBpmim.
GreenFin 23 (June 26-28, Boston) will convene an influential audience of finance, investment, and sustainability professionals to share insights, address key challenges, and showcase leading sustainable financial products and services. Apply the 10% discount code GF23VERRA10 when you register today: http://bit.ly/3ExtO17.