Verra invites proposals for a consultant to collect data and potentially conduct a review of Avoiding Planned Deforestation (APD) projects registered in Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program to determine the extent of deforestation risk the areas in which the projects are located face. A second objective is to assess to what extent deforestation has been halted as a result of VCS project activities.

The selected consultant will identify and use data from concessions and timber harvest permits granted and executed in several countries and, if possible, compare this data with the expected deforestation rates APD projects use in their baseline calculations.

This analysis will be used to strengthen Verra’s current APD accounting methods. Verra is currently developing an updated APD module for projects to use in conjunction with VM0048, the new REDD methodology. Updates to other VCS APD methodologies are expected for early 2024.

It is possible that the research could inform the development of performance-based APD baselines, e.g., that data resulting from this analysis could be useful for setting project baselines in the countries in which the work is being carried out. The results of this research might also be used to provide peer-reviewed data to improve the scientific basis for such baselines.

Verra is currently developing an updated APD module for projects to use in conjunction with VM0048, the new REDD methodology. Updates on some of the APD methodologies are forthcoming in December 2023.

Interested consultants should review the Request for Proposals (PDF) for further details on the scope of work, deliverables, timeline, and required skills and qualifications to apply.

Please submit all proposals and documents to forestcarbon@verra.org by Sunday, January 14, 2024. 

Verra is inactivating and/or updating its existing REDD methodologies and issuing guidance for proponents of Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation (AUD) projects about transitioning their projects to the new REDD methodology.

All AUD projects registered in Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program are required to transition to the new methodology. For projects’ transition processes, Verra is taking the following measures:

1. Inactivating two current AUD methodologies and one module, but certain projects currently “under validation” will have a limited window to complete the validation process:

• VM0009 Methodology for Avoided Ecosystem Conversion
• VM0037 Methodology for Implementation of REDD+ Activities in Landscapes Affected by Mosaic Deforestation and Degradation
• VMD0008 Estimation of baseline emissions from forest degradation caused by extraction of wood for fuel (BL-DFW)

2. Updating one current AUD methodology and 11 modules:

• VM0007 REDD+ Methodology Framework, including VMD0001, VMD0002, VMD0003, VMD0004, VMD0005, VMD0006, VMD0011, VMD0013, VMD0014, VMD0015, and VMD0016

Verra also updated several modules originally designed to be used with VM0007 and  is currently updating VM0006, VM0015, VMD0007, and VMD0051.

Deforestation currently makes up 12 to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and keeping forests standing is a fast and cost-effective way of contributing to urgently needed, impactful climate action. Financing this solution is of the essence, and REDD+, since its inception, has served as a revolutionary method of driving finance to the protection of standing forests. It has also empowered local communities to maintain these forests and their biodiversity, and can contribute to governments’ climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The new REDD methodology (VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and the new module for AUD activities (VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation) will strengthen the VCS Program for issuing carbon credits to AUD projects.

In an important step toward meeting national climate action goals, which is a central topic at the upcoming COP28 in Dubai, VMD0055 involves collaboration between Verra and national governments and enables project baselines to be derived from jurisdictional REDD baselines.

The new module for AUD activities employs a cutting-edge, high-integrity approach to setting project baselines, which are used to calculate a project’s emission reductions. Going forward, Verra will lead on establishing project baselines. Data for these baselines will be sourced from high-quality service providers, in compliance with stringent accuracy requirements. The data collection process will incorporate sophisticated technologies, such as satellites and remote sensing, as well as ground-truthing.

VMD0055 will allow the carbon accounting of all AUD projects in a jurisdiction (e.g., national or first subnational unit) to be proportionate to the total deforestation in that jurisdiction and will factor in carefully analyzed deforestation risk information.

Project baselines will no longer use reference regions to project future deforestation, reducing the potential for any perceived or actual conflict of interest at the project proponent level. Instead, Verra will allocate deforestation data directly to projects.

VMD0055’s new baseline approach includes the following key features:

• Baselines are calculated based on a single deforestation dataset for a given jurisdiction established and approved by Verra, following stringent requirements.
• Verra allocates baseline data to projects based on an assessment of deforestation risk in their project area. This allows for the number of verified emission reductions of all projects in this jurisdiction to be proportionate to the total of potential emission reductions in that area.

A key to implementing this new baseline approach will be the release of the revised VT0007 Unplanned Deforestation Allocation Tool. This new digital version of the tool includes a procedure for developing risk maps for jurisdictions where REDD projects registered in Verra’s VCS Program are located. Verra is conducting final testing of the tool using the first sets of activity data gathered and expects to release the tool, along with requests for proposals for risk mapping providers and for risk mapping data layers, in Q1 2024.

This new approach to providing allocated baselines for VCS AUD projects is not intended to replace or question government Forest Reference Emission Levels (FRELs). As Verra implements this new approach to baseline setting, it will engage with governments, use official data where possible, and share all final data with relevant government agencies.

Per the January 2022 VCS Program update (PDF), baselines must be reassessed every six years. Previously, baselines were reassessed every 10 years.

All current AUD projects are required to transition to the new methodology. As part of this transition, Verra is (1) inactivating two of its current AUD methodologies (VM0009 and VM0037) but certain projects currently “under validation” will have a limited window to complete the validation process (Verra will notify those project proponents who will be affected) and (2) updating one methodology (VM0007) so it continues to be available for AUD projects under certain conditions, for a limited time. Two more methodologies, VM0006 and VM0015, will be updated in the near future (expected for Q1 2024).

Certain modules originally designed to be used with VM0007 (VMD0001, VMD0002, VMD0003, VMD0004, VMD0005, VMD0006, VMD0011, VMD0013, VMD0014, VMD0015, and VMD0016) have been updated to enable their use with VM0048. VMD0008, also used with VM0007, is being inactivated.

The exact timing of an AUD project’s transition to the new REDD methodology 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.

For details on transitioning an AUD project to the new REDD methodology, see the “Transition Process by Project Status” webpage on the Verra website.

Verra anticipates that data for all jurisdictions with existing REDD projects will be available by January 1, 2025.

Because Verra will incur the additional costs for baseline setting under this new methodology, we will institute a new fee to cover these costs. We expect this fee to be lower than the historical costs of baseline setting. More details will be available in a new fee schedule (expected for Q1 2024).

The release of the new REDD methodology and AUD module follows a three-year process that included multiple rounds of expert review and public consultations. We would like to sincerely thank all stakeholders who contributed to this process!

The publication of VM0048 and VMD0055 contributes to the “Enhanced Program Integrity and Impact” thematic area under Verra’s “New Era for Verra” initiative.

Verra led the development of the methodology and module with support from Tim Pearson (Green Collar), Kevin R. Brown (Wildlife Conservation Society), Simon Koenig (Climate Focus), Till Neeff, Sarah M. Walker (Wildlife Conservation Society), and Lucio Pedroni (Carbon Decisions International). Juan Felipe Villegas (Carbon Decisions International), Igino Emmer (Silvestrum), Rebecca Dickson and David Shoch (TerraCarbon), and J. Ronald Eastman and Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr. (Clark Labs), and Manuel Estrada made significant contributions.

As announced previously, Verra is committed to providing projects with a pathway for obtaining the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label for historically issued VCUs. Such a pathway would allow for projects to transition to a new methodology version that has been approved by the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and apply this methodology retroactively to past issuances.

Verra will soon issue a guidance document with specifics on how to pursue this pathway. For REDD projects, this guidance would include information about gathering the necessary data and approaches for their retroactive application.

By the end of 2024, Verra plans to release additional modules for addressing other aspects of REDD, such as avoiding planned deforestation (see the request for proposals related to avoiding planned deforestation). These modules will also be used together with VM0048.

On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 11:00 am ET, Verra hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the new REDD methodology and the module for AUD activities.

Verra has published clarifications to the VCS Standard, v4.5 and VCS Methodology Requirements, v4.4. These clarifications will enable projects using a jurisdictional allocation approach for establishing their baseline validity periods to adopt the new consolidated REDD+ methodology.

The updates in the clarifications are effective immediately.

For any questions, please email programupdates@verra.org.

Verra has published a Request for Proposals (RFP) (PDF) for the development of jurisdictional activity data and forest cover benchmark maps for Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation (AUD) projects in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. AUD projects represent a type of project under the broader Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) approach.

Jurisdictional activity data captures the area deforested – measured in hectares – over a given time. The allocation of this jurisdictional deforestation activity data to projects in proportion to the relative risk of deforestation in project areas is one of the key innovations of Verra’s new REDD methodology. Such jurisdictional activity data will enable Verra to establish deforestation baselines and project proponents will no longer rely on reference regions to project future deforestation. Verra plans to publish its new REDD methodology by the end of the month.

This approach to baseline setting ensures that the number of verified emission reductions generated by all projects in this jurisdiction is proportionate to the total potential emission reductions in that area. As a result, the carbon credits Verra issues to VCS AUD projects will reflect the highest level of integrity.

This work will provide allocated baselines for VCS AUD projects. It does not replace or question government Forest Reference Emission Levels (FRELs). As Verra implements this new approach to baseline setting, it will engage with governments, use official data where possible, and share all final data with relevant government agencies.

To facilitate a smooth transition to its new REDD methodology, Verra is committed to ensuring that, by the end of 2024, jurisdictional baselines will be set in all 40+ jurisdictions that have VCS AUD projects.

In July 2023, Verra launched the process of activity data collection and began gathering activity data in five Brazilian states and seven other jurisdictions. This new RFP will initiate the data gathering process for the remaining jurisdictions that include existing or planned VCS AUD projects.

More information, as well as instructions on applying, can be found in the Request for Proposals: Development of Jurisdictional Activity Data and Forest-Cover Benchmark Maps for VCS Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation Projects. The deadline to apply is January 12, 2024.

Verra has released its new Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation methodology in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. VM0047 Methodology for Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation enables the generation of high-quality nature-based removal credits from activities that increase the density of trees or other types of woody vegetation. It is the first forestry methodology in the voluntary carbon market that allows for the use of a dynamic performance benchmark approach and relies on remote sensing data to establish a project’s baselines and test its additionality. This demonstrates Verra’s commitment to continuous improvement of methodologies in the VCS Program.

VM0047 offers two quantification approaches:

• Area-based approach: This approach uses plot-based sampling and a remote sensing-enabled dynamic performance benchmark. The project area is matched to a set of similar control plots. Subsequently, the rate of vegetative cover change in the project and control areas is compared. This comparison is used to test additionality and establishes the crediting baseline at every verification.
• Census-based approach: This approach applies to smaller projects where a full census of plantings is feasible and projects do not impact land use or land cover in a contiguous area of more than one hectare. This approach is best suited to dispersed planting activities (e.g., urban forestry, agroforestry, shelterbelts, revegetation that does not meet the forest definition). Under this approach, additionality is demonstrated by establishing a project-case and alternative baseline scenario. The baseline is set at zero (i.e., the assumption is that the establishment of trees or other vegetation is unlikely in the absence of the project) if the project meets pre-set, conservative criteria.

VM0047 was developed with an accompanying module, VMD0054 Module for Estimating Leakage from ARR Activities. Projects using VM0047 must account for leakage using VMD0054. Currently, the module may not be used with any other VCS methodology.

Verra authored the methodology and module with support from two contractors, TerraCarbon (external) and Silvestrum (external), with contributions from Kyle S. Hemes and the ABACUS Working Group, in accordance with the VCS Methodology Development and Review Process, v4.3 (PDF).

VM0047 will replace CDM methodologies AR-ACM0003 Afforestation and reforestation of lands except wetlands and AR-AMS0007 Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on lands other than wetlands.

Projects that plan to use either CDM methodology or are “under development” using the AR-ACM0003 or AR-AMS0007 must be listed with a status of “under validation” within three months of October 3, 2023. All projects using these CDM methodologies that have not completed validation must complete validation within 15 months of October 3, 2023.

On October 12 at 1:00 pm ET, Verra will host a webinar to provide an overview of the VM0047 Methodology for Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation. Speakers will include representatives from Verra and TerraCarbon who collaborated on the methodology development.

An educational course about carbon markets and the forestry sector is underway, thanks to the organizational efforts of Verra and FOREDOR, a Chilean company dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. The two entities kicked off the course after signing a Memorandum of Understanding in May.

The course is part of Verra’s initiative to build the capacity of diverse stakeholders in the carbon markets. Classes are offered in Spanish and English; simultaneous translation is offered for classes taught in English.

The training provides insight into the development of forest projects, in particular, that generate carbon credits and certification processes under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. At the close of the course, participants will know how to achieve certification of forestry projects in the VCS Program. They will also have a comprehensive understanding of voluntary and compliance carbon markets, as well as carbon credit transaction processes.

Course participants hail from 10 different countries in Latin America and Europe, and include consultants as well as representatives from private companies and universities.

Due to recent interest, Verra wishes to offer an interpretation of rules in the VCS Standard, v4.4 (PDF) about landowners’ eligibility to enroll in Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) projects after participating in a short-term harvest deferral program outside of the VCS Program. This statement does not constitute an update to or clarification of the VCS Standard, v4.4 or any other VCS Program rules.

Landowners that have participated in a short-term harvest deferral program other than the VCS Program (e.g., NCX) may enroll in a project under a VCS methodology. Per Section 3.22 of the VCS Standard, v.4.4, projects may register with the VCS Program after participating in another greenhouse gas (GHG) program if they and all participants enrolled in them comply with the following:

• Meet all VCS Program rules and requirements
• Disclose their previous participation in a short-term deferral program and provide evidence that they are not subject to any commitments or liabilities under that program
• Do not seek credit for the same GHG emission reduction or removal under the VCS Program and another GHG program
• Use the start date of prior participation in the short-term harvest deferral program as the project start date in the VCS Program
• Adhere to the validation requirements set out in Section 3.7 of the VCS Standard, v4.4

Further, the end of such a project’s total project crediting period shall be the earliest end date of all applicable project crediting periods, per Section 3.9.7 of the VCS Standard, v4.4. The project crediting period under a short-term harvest deferral program would be one year multiplied by the number of times a participant may re-enroll in that program. If the project crediting period of the harvest deferral program is not specified or exceeds the crediting period allowed in the VCS Program, the maximum VCS crediting period (100 years for Improved Forest Management projects) applies.

Verra is delaying the effective date for the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program’s Scope 3 emissions double claiming requirements, previously set at 1 July 2023. Such double claiming occurs when an organization reports in its Scope 3 emissions statement a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction or removal that is also associated with an issued VCU.

The affected requirements help address Scope 3 emissions double claiming by increasing transparency and can be found in Sections 3.23.7, 3.23.8, and 3.23.9 of the VCS Standard, v4.4 (PDF). These requirements will be revised in the next update to the VCS Program, currently scheduled for Q3 2023, with an effective date of 1 January 2024. The revised requirements will clarify what disclosures are required and define which projects are subject to these requirements.

Verra is extending the grace period for projects that are currently in development and planning to use CDM methodology AR-ACM0003: Afforestation and reforestation of lands except wetlands (external site) or AR-AMS0007: Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on lands other than wetlands (external site). In the coming months, Verra expects to release its new Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) methodology, which will replace these two CDM methodologies.

As Verra previously announced, “Projects that have completed pipeline listing prior to the approval and publication of the Methodology for Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation Projects may use CDM methodologies AR-ACM0003 and AR-AMS0007 if they complete validation and request registration within six months from the approval date of the new VCS methodology.”

In accordance with Section 3.21.3.4 of the VCS Standard, v4.4 (PDF), Verra has revised the grace period as follows:

• Projects using the CDM methodologies must be listed with a status of under validation within three months of the release of the new ARR methodology.
• All projects must complete validation within 15 months of the methodology release.

If you have any questions, please contact Spencer Plumb, Manager, Forest Carbon Innovation (splumb@verra.org).