FAQs

Carbon markets are a vital tool to accelerate both emission reductions and carbon removals. By assigning value to avoided and captured emissions, they channel finance toward climate solutions at scale. Effective carbon markets complement decarbonization efforts by enabling organizations to address unavoidable emissions while supporting high-quality restoration and conservation initiatives that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Climate stability and biodiversity are inseparable. Healthy ecosystems, from tropical forests to wetlands—regulate carbon, water, and temperature, while also providing food, medicine, and livelihoods. Protecting and restoring nature is not only essential to limiting global warming but also to safeguarding the foundation of human well-being and economic resilience.

Our theory of change was built based on the guidelines provided by the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) standard67 along with the Conservation Standards developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP). The theory follows a four-step process:
1) Identification of the threats and the focal issue.
2) Development of the situation models for each of the identified threats.
3) Preparation of the result chains for the impacts identified in the situation models.
4) Use of the result chains to define the outcome statements and indicators for the monitoring plan.
The project activities considered in the result chains include a set of actions to be developed by the project implementers in liaison with community members and other key stakeholders, focusing on Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), landscape rehabilitation, and strengthening relationships with neighboring communities.

We applied the AR-Tool 02, v1.0 “Combined tool to identify the baseline scenario and demonstrate additionality in A/R CDM project activities.” This rigorous three-step analysis evaluated land-use alternatives, barriers, and common practices. Extensive livestock was identified as the baseline scenario. Restoration was proven additional due to ecological, financial, and institutional barriers, as well as its low adoption in the region. Our transparent baseline data, conservative projections, and lack of legal restoration requirements confirm the project’s true additionality. Beyond carbon, our projects strengthen biodiversity corridors and develop sustainable local economies, ensuring long-term ecological and social benefits.

Strong legal protection against land-use change. To ensure the protection and permanence of restoration activities, we have hired forest rangers to monitor and control planned activities. Our restoration team supports supervision and implementation, manages stakeholder relationships, and promotes permanence through ongoing technical evaluation to ensure medium- and long-term project success.

We are committed to actively engaging with local communities, ensuring they are well-informed, involved, and supportive of the project. In addition, NatureRe implements a rigorous land selection process to minimize risks related to land tenure, and social, legal, or environmental factors that could affect viability. Combined with adaptive management and continuous monitoring, these measures ensure that ecological and social benefits endure well beyond the crediting period.

Colombia is the most biodiverse country per km², home to nearly 10% of the world’s biodiversity and more than 314 ecosystem types. Yet it faces severe deforestation, with up to 95% of dry forests and 70% of Andean forests lost. This creates vast opportunities for restoration. Native species grow rapidly, enhancing carbon capture potential. Our local team and partners bring proven expertise, including a successful pilot in Chocó. While Colombia is our foundation, we plan to expand across Latin America, starting with Brazil in 2025.

NatureRe initially applied AR-ACM0003, a widely recognized afforestation/reforestation methodology. As standards evolved, we migrated to VM0047, which builds on AR-ACM0003 while incorporating updated science and stronger safeguards. VM0047 enhances the quantification of carbon sequestration, integrates biodiversity and community co-benefits, and ensures alignment with the latest best practices. Importantly, VM0047 is approved under the Core Carbon Principles (CCP), which confirms that our credits meet the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and impact in global carbon markets.

ANR restores entire ecosystems by leveraging natural regeneration processes. It delivers high biodiversity co-benefits, greater forest resilience, and a cost advantage since planting is minimal. In terms of carbon storage, ANR and native species reforestation are comparable. Critically, studies show species-rich forests created through ANR store twice as much carbon as monoculture plantations.

Our biodiversity strategy focuses on restoring ecological connectivity, protecting critical habitats, and promoting species richness. We design projects to enhance resilience against climate change and ensure that restored landscapes support both threatened and keystone species. Monitoring frameworks align with international biodiversity standards to guarantee transparency and credibility.

NatureRe integrates local communities at every stage—from project design to long-term management—through our HEART strategy, which emphasizes Health & well-being, Economic empowerment, Ambition & education, Representation & inclusion, and Transparency & exchange. We focus on job creation, capacity building, and sustainable livelihoods tied to ecosystem health. Our restoration team actively engages stakeholders, ensures communities are informed and supportive, and promotes long-term project permanence. By combining meaningful community involvement with sustainable economic opportunities, we strengthen ownership, resilience, and ensure that the social benefits of our projects endure well beyond carbon finance.

​​NatureRe is an impact driven company. Our aim is to restore nature at scale, so that we can positively and efficiently impact the climate, biodiversity, and local communities.

Carbon impact (SDG 13): By selecting degraded lands with a strong potential for restoration, we ensure a high CO2 absorption rate, above average, around 10-14 tCO2 eq/ha. With an SPV (10M€) as an example, we aim to absorb more than 1 million tons of CO2 in 15 years and restore more than 5’000 hectares of degraded lands.

Biodiversity impact (SDG 15): By applying Assisted Natural Regeneration to the degraded lands, we ensure that the full ecosystem is restored. We plan as well to protect endangered species by re-introducing them in the restored lands. Species like threatened Magnolia could adapt easily in some ecosystems. As Colombia benefits from hundreds of different ecosystems, we will use existing information – data on flora and fauna in a specific area to measure the restoration of the ecosystem over time. With the first SPV, we estimate that more than 10 million trees will regrow in 15 years.

Water impact (SDG 6): We protect the areas associated with micro-watersheds supplying aqueducts and contribute to the maintenance of the hydrological quality of watersheds. As deforestation pollutes water sources, contributing to loss of soil carbon, infiltration and water retention, it is essential to protect access to clean water.

Social impact (SDG 8): Local communities are involved in the project from the beginning and are be part of the “solution”. Our operation partner South Pole Colombia has a social team, with expert anthropologists who interact and discuss with local communities to find the best solutions, actions, and activities to develop around the project. We create jobs by hiring rangers, forest engineers and land managers. We plan with a 10M€ SPV to create at least 50 new jobs, around protection of the land and monitoring activities.

We apply a comprehensive risk management framework covering ecological, social, financial, and governance dimensions. Ecologically, we mitigate risks through diversified restoration methods (ANR, enrichment planting, nucleation) and by certifying land as natural reserves, ensuring long-term protection. Socially, we build strong partnerships with local communities, aligning project goals with livelihood benefits to reduce conflict and enhance permanence. Financially, we rely on conservative carbon projections, robust monitoring, and third-party verification to safeguard credit integrity. Governance risks are addressed through transparent reporting, compliance with international standards (e.g., VCS, CCB), and adaptive management plans to respond to changing conditions.