Third-party assessment of the “credibility” of the Merang REDD+ project’s carbon credits Indonesia

ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT FORESTRYFORESTRY TRANSVERSALTRANSVERSAL

Services: Technical and economic advice, Monitoring, evaluation and capitalisation

Countries: Indonesia

Dates of intervention: 2019/02 - 2019/05

Amount executed: 10 400 €
Total amount of the service: 10 400 €

Main backer: Confidentiality agreement client

Main beneficiary: Confidentiality agreement

Support provider: SalvaTerra

Experts: David COMBAZ, Olivier BOUYER

Context of the service

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and carbon offsetting policies, a French luxury group called on SalvaTerra to assess the "credibility" of the carbon credits proposed by the Merang REDD+ project, initiated by PT Global Alam Lestari (GAL) on a 22,914 ha concession in South Sumatra Province.

The project area is located in the heart of the Merang Peat Dome, the only contiguous peatland of more than 150,000 ha in Sumatra. Its hydrological profile makes it particularly sensitive to drying up by the construction of canals.

Project activities include peatland rewetting, reforestation, assisted natural regeneration, combating planned deforestation (acacia plantation), fires, illegal land clearing, biodiversity protection and strengthening local communities.

At the time of the study, the implementation of the project had already started (in 2019), but it was not yet registered under the VCS and CCBS. The Project Design Document (PDD) to be submitted under the VCS was in preparation.

Services provided

The study assessed the credibility of this REDD+ project and the risk associated with the purchase of REDD+ credit by the private group. The evaluation addressed the following issues:

- Reference scenario: credibility and compliance of the assumptions and methodologies chosen;

- Project scenario: verification of the eligibility of the proposed land and activities, credibility of the stated ambitions;

- Leak assessment and management: adequacy with applicable guidelines and recommended best practices;

- Measurement, reporting and verification (MRV): quality, compliance and conservatism of the methods for monitoring carbon stocks and GHG emissions;

- Benefit-sharing: compliance with the legal framework and credibility of the stated ambitions;

- Involvement of local populations: quality and credibility of the identification and modalities of community involvement.

These analyses made it possible to request clarifications from the project proponent, and their responses were also analysed.

Summary of the service

Third-party assessment of the "credibility" of the Merang Peatland REDD+ carbon credits: Review of project documentation and comparison with UNFCCC, IPCC and VCS and CCBS guidelines; Assessment of key aspects (baseline and project scenarios; leak management; monitoring, notification and verification (MRV); benefit sharing; Evaluation of the opportunity to purchase REDD+ credits, with a view to carbon offsetting of a French industrial group.