Quadriz’s project is the first, large-scale carbon project in the Chaco region. The Corazón Verde del Chaco Project is a unique and high-impact REDD+ project, which conserves tropical forest under immediate threat of deforestation. The Paraguayan Chaco consists of mainly privately owned land, and very few legally protected natural reserves. The Chaco is one of the largest carbon sinks; nonetheless, it ranks as one of the most deforested forest areas on earth. Cattle ranching and soybean production are the primary drivers of deforestation in the Chaco and charcoal production provides a lucrative incentive to justify the upfront costs of clearing forest for cattle. Through the latest technology, careful management, and on-the-ground monitoring, the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project protects the tropical forest of the Chaco, a true biodiversity hotspot, and home to endemic and endangered animal species who heavily rely on the forest for their existence. The area covered by the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project contains vital wildlife corridors that allow animals to move freely around their territories, without interaction with external threats from humans. The Chaco ecoregion has been described by Sir David Attenborough as “one of the last great wilderness areas in the world.” "REDD+ Avoided Planned Deforestation following VM007. This REDD+ project alleviates pressure on natural forest habitat in the Chaco Region in Paraguay. Quadriz’s actions: 1) Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural conversion process; 2) Sustain local and regional water quality by limiting nutrient and sediment inputs to local waterways which result from conversion of forest land to agriculture; 3) Conserve fast disappearing stream, wetland, and forest ecosystems; 4) Undertake local consultations and develop community projects; and 5) Protect local fauna and flora. On the social level, the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project aims to have the greatest benefit for local communities in the vicinity of the Project Areas. This is primarily achieved by increasing the incomes of locals through new, well-paid job opportunities and secure employment that are required to manage the Project. These jobs cover a range of skills, from employing and training local forest rangers to hiring employees to work in a planned visitor center. Registered as VCS 2611, the project has been validated and verified under VCS / CCB Gold in 2023 with first credits issued for 2020. The project area is 31,858ha, avoiding a total of 1,272,472 tCO2e annually . Development of the baseline for a planned deforestation project was conducted in conformance with the VCS modular REDD methodology VM0007, specifically the BL-PL module. The carbon stocks monitoring methodology used is M-REDD “VMD0015 Methods for monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and removals”. Forest cover change due to deforestation and natural disturbance is monitored through periodic assessment of classified satellite imagery, covering the project area. Annual verification events monitor a) area of recorded deforestation b) area impacted by natural disturbance and c) total carbon stocks in all pools.  Baseline assumptions are updated and made publicly available every 10 years. Paraguay has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, as every year in the Gran Chaco, hundreds of thousands of hectares of primary forest are deforested and converted into cattle land, especially in the western Gran Chaco region. The landowner was in possession of a "plan de uso" permitting the legal conversion of forest lands. In the baseline scenario, in the event of no REDD+ project, the landowner would have sold the land to a land purchaser who would have converted up to 75% of the native forest into cattle land. Conserving this forestland is completed at substantial cost, made possible by funding accumulated from the sale of carbon credits over the course of 40 years. Near term priorities for the project; 1) Development of Health Services Provision "Chaco Alert " As committed within the Project Design Document, proceeds from the project will be used to establish a flying ambulance service supporting local communities surrounding the project areas. This will involve centrally located accommodation with housing and supplies for doctors, dentists and nurses and associated patient air transport. 2) Development of a Project Visitor Centre Creating an establishment within the project area to provide resources to raise awareness and education about the project and its associated benefits to local communities, landowners and potential investors 3) Extending project area - Quadriz is in progress negotiating to extend the existing project area by including additional properties owned by the existing landowner, and new landowners up to a potential total of 100,000 ha.  Future Predictions - In a pioneering move, Paraguay has committed to establishing a carbon credit law to generate guidelines on the issuing and monetization of carbon credits under voluntary schemes, and establish a carbon registry to record carbon mitigation activities. This will have the effect of providing additional certainty to project activities such as Corazon Verde del Chaco, and will be particularly relevant to future Article 6 trading activity as it will provide a framework to set and improve minimum requirements for credits. In addition to the associated emissions, avoiding deforestation of the project area maintains soil, water and air quality. Natural ecosystems maintain rainfall filtration which reduces displaced sediment, avoiding disrupted water cycles and associated habitat impacts. Root networks of forest cover minimise soil erosion and maintain soil fertility. Air quality is maintained through the natural cycle of photosynthesis where existing plant matter converts carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and water. According to the IUCN Red List, 35 threatened species are present within the Chaco Region. Many of these local species are losing their habitat due to deforestation trends resulting in commercial agricultural lands and cattle ranches.  There are several vulnerable, threatened, and endangered species throughout the Chaco Forest, including the endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) and crowned solitary eagle (Buteogallus coronatus).   Specific to the initial project instance, several threatened species according to the IUCN Red List have been photographed. Such species include the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla; considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List), the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari; considered Vulnerable), the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus; considered Vulnerable) and the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris; considered Vulnerable). Although the jaguar is only considered near threatened, and the giant armadillo is considered vulnerable, the concentration of these species would qualify as High Conservation Value at the national and regional levels.   Furthermore, according to MADES (Paraguayan Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development), the following mammalian species which have been photographed at the initial project instance, are considered nationally endangered: the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus); the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis); the jaguar (Panthera onca); and the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus). Though there are no local communities or Indigenous Peoples who live in, or use, the initial Project Area, local communities in surrounding regions will receive better access to health services and improved health as a result of the Chaco Alert flying ambulance program. This includes access to doctors and potentially life-saving medicine. Communities will also benefit from increased and diversified income of employment opportunities, such as forest guards. The Project Visitor Centre will also impact local communities through increased awareness and educational opportunities regarding local cultures, and local biodiversity. Quadriz is the largest and first Project Developer in Paraguay.  Within the project team includes technical and policy expertise originating from organisations such as WWF, UNEP and UNDP. We have close collaboration with several local institutions including National University of Asuncion and MADES (Ministerio del Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible) with whom Quadriz was involved as a direct contributor to the development of the Carbon Credits Law.  The Corazon Verde del Chaco Project has achieved one of the highest independent credit ratings of all Nature Based Solutions, globally. Note - pricing is subject to successfully meeting Quadriz AML/KYC and follows the first-come first-served basis.

Co-benefits certification