Brazil J-REDD+ implementation – The state of Para is continuing its free, prior, and informed consultation (FPIC) process on its jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) programme in the Brazilian Amazon. This week, the state government resumed consultations in the municipality of Cachoeira do Arari with Quilombola leaders, representative associations, local communities, and public authorities, it said in a press release. Last year, the State Secretariat for the Environment, Climate and Sustainability (Semas) concluded consultations with representatives from the extractive sector.

COP30 pledge formalised – Brazilian development bank BNDES and sustainable land management company Tree Agroflorestal (Tree+) signed on Monday a R$151.8 mln ($29.3 mln) financing agreement to support restoration of the Atlantic Forest. The deal had previously been announced during COP30 in Belem last November, with the expectation that the project will generate carbon credits. The resources will come from the National Climate Fund and are earmarked for the ecological restoration of 15,000 ha, mainly in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Voluntary carbon credit retirements surged last week to more than 14 million credits across the four main standard bodies, boosted by strong activity from an oil major.

COP30 roadmaps – The UNFCCC has opened a public call for comments on the two roadmaps announced by the COP30 Presidency last year: one on transitioning away from fossil fuels and another on halting and reversing deforestation. Parties, observers, and stakeholders may submit contributions until March 31.

Five improved forest management (IFM) projects in China show no statistically significant evidence of additional carbon sequestration, while projected removals exceeded empirical estimates by an average factor of 3.7, a new study said.

Opening up - The Carbon to Sea Initiative has launched the Interactive MRV Database to document how MRV is currently being conducted across five of the world’s earliest ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) field projects. OAE is an open-system CDR approach, meaning carbon uptake occurs gradually across space and time. Carbon to Sea said that while this makes it potentially scalable, it also creates challenges around measurement, attribution, and standardisation. Monitoring approaches vary depending on the OAE method used, the objectives of the research, and whether the project is led by academic researchers or private companies, it added. "In the absence of a shared regulatory standard, there remains ambiguity around what monitoring for OAE entails, how much progress has been made, and how closely perceptions align with actual field practice." In 2025, Carbon to Sea carried out a structured MRV landscape analysis, combining a review of public documentation with 37 expert interviews spanning academia, private developers, MRV providers, buyers, and funders. The resulting database aims to establish a baseline against which improvements in MRV quality, confidence, and eventually cost can be tracked. Developed with input from the five featured projects, the database indexes more than 250 individual measurements. It records parameters measured, locations, sampling methods or sensors used, and the stated purpose of each measurement. The information is consolidated into a unified structure and accompanied by a meta-analysis highlighting patterns and areas of alignment across projects. Carbon to Sea said the database is not intended to compare projects directly, assess the adequacy of individual MRV systems, validate CDR claims, or evaluate baseline monitoring. Instead, it focuses specifically on OAE-related measurements and seeks to identify emerging themes and opportunities for improvement, acting as a practical tool without having to compile information from multiple sources. Carbon to Sea plans to update it annually as additional projects come online and monitoring practices evolve, and is inviting further submissions to expand its coverage. An open fellowship position will support the next phase of database development.

New powers - England's largest land manager, Forestry England, will now be able to host renewable electricity projects under new statutory powers that came into effect on Feb. 27. The organisation will work with Great British Energy to deliver renewable energy projects such as rooftop solar, with the income streams to support Forestry England's goals for tree planting, woodland management, and wildlife support. There will no net loss of woodland area as a result, with new trees planted to compensate for any removed as a result of renewable projects. The generated energy will be sold to the national grid, supporting the UK's clean power by 2030 goal. Forestry England manages the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests covering over 250,000 hectares.

Papua New Guinea has formally operationalised its Carbon Permit Application (CPA) process, replacing the previous Project Concept Note system with a structured statutory framework designed to tighten environmental integrity, formalise landowner consent, and provide clearer timelines for project approval.

Recent controversies linked to forest carbon projects have reignited debate over one of Brazil’s most complex governance challenges: land tenure regularisation.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are being systematically shut out of global climate finance despite facing some of the most acute climate impacts, according to a report released Monday that said funders view these nations as too small, fragmented, and risky to support.