Project Number

VCS 1477

Standard

Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)

Additional Certification

Climate, Community, Biodiversity Standards (CCB)

Climate Gold, Community Gold, Biodiversity Gold

Technology Type

REDD+ (Avoided Planned Deforestation and Reforestation, combined with Conservation of Undrained and Partially drained Peatland and Rewetting of Drained Peatland activities)

Project Location

Katingan and Kotawaringin Timur districts, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) encompasses approximately 5.7 million ha of peatland

By 2020, the expansion of industrial plantations on this peatland is estimated to contribute to about 20% of Indonesia’s total GHG emissions

Project protects and is restoring 149,800 ha of peatland ecosystems, covering one of Indonesia’s largest remaining intact peat swamp forests, and is reforesting 4,433 ha of non-forest areas within the project area

The project area is located entirely within state-designated production forest which without the project, would be converted to fast-growing industrial pulpwood plantations

The project prevents this, having obtained full legal control of the production forest area through an Ecosystem Restoration Concession license, blocking the applications of plantation companies

This project generates an array of sustainability outcomes, beyond just carbon not being released from the project area’s carbon stocks

Kalimantan encompasses approximately 5.7 million ha of peatland.  By 2020, the expansion of industrial plantations on peatlands in Kalimantan alone is estimated to contribute to about 20% of Indonesia’s total GHG emissions

The project area contains vast amounts of CO₂, with above-ground biomass and peat carbon stocks quantified to be 14.25 Mt and 546.75 Mt of carbon, respectively

The project plays a vital role in stabilizing water flows, preventing devastating peat fires, enriching soil nutrients and providing clean water

The project area is biodiversity rich, containing large populations of many high conservation value species, including some of the world’s most endangered (e.g. Bornean Orangutan and Proboscis Monkey)

While the project area contains no permanent human settlements, it is surrounded by villages for which it supports traditional livelihoods including farming, fishing, and non-timber forest products harvesting

The forest habitat supports 2 critically endangered, 11 endangered and 31 vulnerable species

Preliminary estimates indicate an estimated population of almost 4,000 Orangutan, almost 10,000 Bornean Gibbon and over 500 Proboscis Monkey.  These populations all represent over 5% of the remaining global population of these species

Overall, the project area’s biodiversity includes 157 bird, 67 mammal, 41 reptile, 8 amphibian, 111 fish, and 314 floral species