A US-based environmental trading platform will start listing voluntary biodiversity credits generated by Colombian company Terrasos.
Regen Network will begin listing the Terrasos units, a spokesperson confirmed to Carbon Pulse, after a community vote that saw 590 voters representing 98.83% of Regen shares backed the proposal and only two voted against.
The Colombian firm generates its credits from a collection of habitat banks, with each representing the long-term protection of 10 square metres.
Regen Network mostly offers carbon credits from land-based projects in the US, but in a proposal put to its community ahead of the vote, Regen Network said it wanted to contribute to the curation of a small number of ways to measure biodiversity outcomes in the emerging market for such credits.
“The protocol for issuing voluntary biodiversity credits developed by Terrasos is a comprehensive framework that aims to create a thriving market,” Regen said.
“These credits will play a crucial role in incentivising the protection of ecosystems and threatened species. The protocol sets out clear criteria for conservation projects, emphasising ecological value, financial stability, and legal compliance,” it added.
“By aligning actions with performance-based metrics, it paves the way for meaningful biodiversity conservation.”
Regen also has plans to include jaguar protection credits from Brazil-based Ecosystem Regeneration Associates (ERA) once they hit the market.
The development comes after another early mover in the biodiversity market, US-based Savimbo, has seen its jaguar protection credits from projects across the Colombian Amazon listed on several carbon credit platforms, most recently Emsurge.
Terrasos, meanwhile, has so far offered its units through the Climate Trade platform, and last month saw its efforts rewarded with an investment by investment manager Mirova.
Several of the major standards in the voluntary carbon market such as Verra, Gold Standard, and Plan Vivo are in the process of drawing up methodologies for biodiversity or already piloting them, while Cercarbono – also based in Colombia – in December released for consultation a broad certification programme to position itself for involvement in the emerging market.
By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com
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