Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project
Project Number
VCS 674
Standard
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
Additional Certification
Climate, Community, Biodiversity Standards (CCB):
Climate Gold, Community Gold, Biodiversity Gold
Technology Type
REDD+ (Avoided Planned Deforestation)
Project Location
Seruyan Hilir District, Danau Sembuluh and Hanau, Seruyan Regency, Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia
Project Description
Indonesia has the 3rd largest expanse of tropical rainforest in the world
It loses over 2.5 million ha annually (2nd only to Brazil)
Wider project zone protects 91,215 ha of tropical peat swamp forest on the southern coast of Kalimantan (Borneo)
Project area (the carbon accounting area) is 47,237 ha within the project zone
By stopping deforestation in this area, the project on average avoids the release of 3.5 million tonnes of CO2e annually
The project creates a buffer zone along the eastern border of the adjacent world‐renowned Tanjung Puting National Park
This protects the National Park from encroachment by oil palm plantations and logging
- it also extends the habitat available for threatened species to outside the National Park
Prior to the Project
Much of Indonesia’s rainforest is cleared with fire for use as agricultural land, especially for oil palm plantations
The clearing and draining of peatlands causes a non-industrialized economy accounting for <1% of global GDP to be one of world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters
Over half of the protected lowland forests in Kalimantan were cut down between 1985 and 2001, according to satellite studies
- Over 461,000 ha of forest were converted to oil palm plantations in 2007
The area of the project was planned to be converted into 4 oil palm estates
- this would have involved logging, burning the remaining vegetation and the systematic draining of the peatlands
- millions of tonnes of above and below ground carbon would have been released
The area also suffered periodic incursions by illegal logging operations
Sustainability Beyond Carbon
This project generates an array of sustainability outcomes, beyond just carbon not being released from the project area’s carbon stocks
The area’s hydrology is actively managed with small dams constructed on logging canal exits
- This holds the water within the landscape, helping to prevent the peat from drying
Project’s Approach
The local community planned and developed various aspects including:
- water filtration devices
- clean stove technology distribution
- solar lighting
- increased healthcare access
- early childhood development materials and tools (e.g. 1 laptop/ child program)
- project and reserve management training and environmental conservation education
Reforestation includes forest regeneration in recently burned or formerly logged areas, as well as active replanting
Biodiversity
Without the project, forest habitat supporting over 50 endangered species including the Borneo orangutan would have disappeared.
The project area’s biodiversity includes 361 bird, 122 mammal and 180 tree and woody plant species, many of which are highly threatened or endangered.
Community
The 14 local forest communities’ land cannot be appropriated by palm oil companies
Carbon offsets finance the project area’s protection, local community development and provincial government infrastructure and support
Local employment comes from implementing integrated fire management plan and patrolling for
- illegal logging
- wildlife poaching
- attempts to create new drainage or logging canals
Project Design, Monitoring, Validation and Verification Reports
Want to know more about this project?
Information about the project has been sourced from the publicly available documents provided here:
https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/674
All images are either representative stock images, images supplied by the project, or sourced from the Verra VCS Project Database
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