Forest Protection in the Chaco Safeguards Biodiversity and Livelihoods
The Gran Chaco (short: Chaco) is an extensive dry forest and savanna region in South America. It stretches across Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and, to a smaller extent, Brazil.
The Chaco is considered one of the most important carbon sinks on the continent and is home to species such as the jaguar, the giant anteater, and the lowland tapir. The Paraguayan part of the Chaco shows particularly high deforestation rates – driven by extensive cattle ranching, soybean cultivation, and charcoal production. The large-scale conversion of forests into pasture releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases and accelerates climate change.
This is where the climate project Corazón Verde del Chaco comes in. Regular patrols secure the area against illegal logging, while the use of satellite imagery makes forest loss visible at an early stage and enables swift countermeasures. Landowners commit to not converting their forest areas into pasture. Training sessions on biodiversity and forest protection engage local communities – creating awareness of climate change and fostering acceptance of forest conservation. In this way, the project initially safeguards 20,515 hectares of forest from deforestation; in the long term, the protected area is to be expanded to more than 300,000 hectares.
The project thus makes an important contribution to climate action while also preserving vital habitats for animals and plants. Of particular importance are wildlife corridors, which are crucial for wide-ranging species such as the jaguar and ensure the genetic exchange between populations.
Local communities also benefit: the project creates new jobs and training opportunities. Through the “Chaco Med” program, remote communities gain access to medical care and essential medicines.
Project Standard
The project contributes to the the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
Forests are not only among the planet's most important carbon reservoirs. They also are home to an enormous diversity of species and are the livelihood for all people. However, global forest areas have declined sharply in recent decades due to increasing settlement, agricultural use, illegal logging and mining.
Forest protection projects ensure that forests are preserved in the long term and that the protection of forests is given a higher value than their deforestation. Together with the local population, project participants protect the area from negative influences. To allow for this the projects create alternative sources of income and educational opportunities. Depending on the project region, forests store varying amounts of carbon per hectare. Particularly high amounts of carbon are stored in the vegetation and soil of tropical swamp forests, primary rainforests, or mangroves. Forest protection projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
The project aims to contribute to these United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Four criteria for projects to meet quality thresholds
The life cycle of a climate project
A climate project has a set life cycle consisting of various phases, from the feasibility assessment to the retirement of Verified Emission Reductions (VERs).
The project developer reviews the general feasibility of the project, the project design, and the financing. Then, the Project Design Document (PDD) is prepared, which contains all the basic information about the project, such as the objective, location, timeline, and duration.
In this phase, independent auditors examine the PDD and the information it contains. This phase often also involves field visits with on-side interviews and analyses. Auditors are accredited, impartial assessors who have to be approved by the relevant standard as a validation and verification body (VVB). TÜV Nord/Süd, S&A Carbon LLC., and SCS Global Services are examples of VVBs."
Once validated, the project can be registered with a standard such as the Verified Carbon Standard or the Gold Standard. All high-quality climate projects are based on international standards. They provide the framework for project design, construction, carbon accounting, and monitoring. Recognised standards make the climate project system and the projects themselves resilient, traceable, and credible.
After the climate project has been registered, the monitoring begins. Here, the project developers monitor and document the data of the project activities and progress. The duration of the monitoring phase varies from project to project: it can cover two years, but documentation over five or seven years is also possible.
At the end of each monitoring phase, a VVB checks and assesses whether the values and project activities stated in the monitoring report are correct. As with validation, visits to the project site are often part of the verification process.
Once verified, the emission reductions that were confirmed in the verification phase can be issued as VERs. The steps of monitoring, verification, and issuance of VERs are repeated regularly and are therefore considered as a cycle.
Once a VER has been used, it must be retired. This process is also reflected in the registry. If the financing of a climate project is done through ClimatePartner, the VERs are bundled in a system certified by TÜV Austria and then retired on a regular basis. This ensures that each VER can no longer be sold and is only used once, preventing double counting.
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