A large US timberland owner has outlined plans to expand its forest carbon project portfolio, expecting issuance volumes from its forest carbon projects to increase to more than 1.2 million by 2030.

A Zambian province’s jurisdictional REDD+ programme has signed a nesting agreement with a longstanding, large-scale REDD+ project, removing roadblocks to continued crediting in the nested project area.

A Seattle-based outdoor retailer is scooping up the lion’s share of credits first issued under Verra’s revised improved forest management (IFM) methodology.

Verra has launched a new version of its Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) crediting programme, introducing stronger safeguards for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, insurance provisions to account for reversal risk, and shorter baseline cycles.

An initiative seeking to restore 50,000 hectares of Bhutanese land over the next 10 years intends to generate almost two million carbon credits and create a secondary mechanism to enable payment for ecosystem services, an international conservation organisation said.

Adjusted terms – Carbon Streaming has amended its Azuero Reforestation carbon credit streaming agreement for a project in Panama, while confirming its offtake with Microsoft remains in place. Microsoft and Rubicon retain ongoing funding obligations, while Carbon Streaming has no further funding obligation after its $1.2 mln upfront payment but holds options to provide additional funding of $4.6 mln or $3.8 mln by June 30, 2026 or June 30, 2027, respectively. If no option is exercised, the project is expected to remove approximately 2.3 MtCO2e through 2052. Exercising either option would increase restoration to 9,539 or 9,050 hectares and removal to between roughly 2.8 and 2.9 MtCO2e, with Carbon Streaming entitled to between about 295,000 and 357,000 carbon credits.  Initial issuance from the project is expected in 2029.

FPIC ongoing – Para, Brazil, is calling on Quilombola communities to engage in free, prior, and informed consultation (FPIC) related to its J-REDD+ programme. The state will hold meetings from Dec. 16-19 in the municipality of Oriximina and has invited residents from six Quilombola territories in the area: Ariramba, Area Trombetas, Agua Fria, Cachoeira Porteira, Juquirizinho, and Mae Dominga. (OEstadoNet)

The ecological impacts of the EU’s proposed bioeconomy strategy received some level of attention during a public ministerial debate this week, but many ministers focused more heavily on competitiveness and simplification.

A coalition dedicated to creating blue carbon ecosystems in Japan is seeking to commercialise its seaweed cultivation solution for fishing ports.

The Bolivian congress is seeking to establish an emissions trading system (ETS) while simultaneously providing long-awaited legal certainty for voluntary carbon markets and Article 6 cooperation, under a draft law recently introduced to the country’s lower house.

A carbon removal financier has agreed to procure more than 360,000 carbon dioxide removal credits from biochar facilities operated in India and the Philippines, expanding its portfolio of high-integrity CDR supply in Asia.

Pacific preservation – The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) have signed the Pacific Ocean Initiative, backed with an €8 mln grant from the agency over five years. The regional programme is designed to protect coastal and marine biodiversity, strengthen ecosystem resilience, and support sustainable development across the Pacific Islands. Eighteen countries and territories in the region will be eligible, including Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Niue, Vanuatu, and Tokelau. Activities will include the development of a regional community of practice for coral reef monitoring, enhancing coral reef restoration outcomes, and sustainable management of coastal resources, including fisheries. (SPREP)