Native forest restoration methodology approved for CCP carbon credit label
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has approved an afforestation, reforestation and revegetation methodology developed by the American Carbon Registry (ACR) as eligible to receive its high-integrity CCP label.
Afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR) carbon credits are based on the planting of trees, either to form new forests as carbon sinks or to restore degraded forest areas. In this case, the ICVCM specifies that ACR’s ARR credits meet the quality criteria of its Core Carbon Principles label as long as they are based on the planting of native species on degraded lands – so-called natural forest establishment or restoration activities.
The Council’s specification is significant, as many ARR credits so far have been issued from projects planting non-native monocultures such as Eucalyptus trees – a controversial activity that can threaten native biodiversity.
Annette Nazareth, Chair of the Integrity Council, said: “Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation methodologies offer a critical pathway to support the growth and restoration of forests and accelerate action on removing carbon from the atmosphere to help meet climate goals. The approval of this methodology will support continued investment in high-integrity CCP-labelled carbon credits that finance projects with measurable, positive impacts for our climate.”
Role of ARR carbon credits in ecological transition
This is the second ARR methodology approved for CCP labelling after Verra’s VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation, v 1.0. Five others are still awaiting review by the ICVCM.
Analysis by the World Resources Institute has found that 515 million hectares of tree cover was lost between 2001 and 2024 (34% of which is likely permanent), so reforestation is a necessary step to restore natural carbon sinks and biodiversity.
Having access to carbon finance through the sale of high-integrity carbon credits (which currently benefit from a 65% price premium) is crucial for these reforestation projects, which is why the two CCP-approved ARR methodologies meet the ICVCM’s additionality requirements.
Approximately 7.8 million credits have been issued under the ACR Afforestation and Reforestation of Degraded Lands methodology – which can now be CCP-labelled, as long as the Council’s conditions around native species are met.
Member discussion