The primary objective is to mitigate GHG emissions through avoided deforestation, and includes the conservation of the natural forest ecosystem, to protect the endangered habitat and communities and biodiversity protection of both the plants and the animals which are reliant on this vulnerable habitat.
The additional aim is to provide the local communities with enhanced socio-economic situations, through their involvement in the project, its activities and its objectives. The 1.3 million hectares that the project area covers includes 10,700 community members, who are all committed to supporting the positive actions of the project. Protecting their natural forests is highly important to them, and their actions on-the-ground help to address the drivers of deforestation, whilst also protecting habitats, ecosystems and communities, as well as contributing to a more sustainable way of life, providing many positive outcomes.
Avoiding deforestation within the natural forest project area for the duration of the project includes identifying the areas at most risk of deforestation and enacting actions that address the drivers of deforestation particular to the specific area.
Implement effective protection, monitoring and community participation. For example, by encouraging the local communities to contribute to the protection of the area, ensures the are directly contributing to the success of the project, and achieving Natural Capital Credits, and thereby the ongoing application of the project.
Natural Capital Credit certification
The project is certified under the Natural Forest Standard, a carbon credit standard operating in the voluntary carbon sector. The validation and verification requires independent carbon auditors to carry out rigorous checks and measures to ensure the carbon benefits are real, measureable and additional.
These carbon credits are issued only to projects that have proven carbon results, and are delivering wider environmental and social benefits. This means that the project has to demonstrate the project not only exists to provide benefits towards climate change, and carbon, but also for other positive social and environmental impacts. This includes the protection of biodiversity and community enhancements.
How the Trocano Project delivers positive benefits
Protecting the rainforest delivers effective deforestation mitigation actions and results in sustainable practices being adopted for the long term. It also helps protect the natural capital present in the area. Natural capital is all the resources naturally occurring within an ecosystem. Drivers of deforestation are addressed through positive actins being taken to protect the project area. This can include strengthening the community participation in the project, and therefore their affinity with wanting to help support the protection of the forests for their own families and communities, but even more so, for the global community.
There are many carbon co-benefits that are achieved through the Trocano project and this includes preserving the ecosystem, natural capital, habitat and conditions for the endemic species of the region as well as supporting the local livelihoods for the residents. The carbon credits that are achieved by the Trocano project are used to maintain the funding required for the ongoing implementation of the project and its multiple benefits. The project contributes significantly to reducing CO2 emissions by ensuring that the trees in these natural forests remain standing, and that wider benefits are achieved.