A new study found just 28% of biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) protocols assessed had a satisfactory integrity grade, as authors warned the emerging sector must learn from the challenges that have affected forestry credits.

A forestry fund in Paraguay that aims to expand an ARR carbon pilot to 120,000 hectares has received a $15-million commitment in direct and blended finance from a multilateral development bank.

Ag partners – Ireland and New Zealand have agreed to advance their collaboration on research to cut agriculture emissions, the Beehive said on Wednesday. This follows a NZ$34.5 mln ($20 mln) Joint Research Initiative (JRI) pilot, launched in 2022 to bolster climate change research. The second phase of the JRI will identify projects to advance, building on the 11 under the pilot. The two countries also launched the 2026-30 strategic plan for the Global Research Alliance (GRA) on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, which has flagged advancing scientific research, strengthening capacity and knowledge sharing, building effective collaboration and partnerships, and leveraging financial and other resources as its priorities. The GRA supports research on cutting emissions from livestock, cropping, and paddy rice.

Deforestation fall by around 30% in areas of the Brazilian Amazon covered by a conservation-linked cash transfer programme for vulnerable families, according to a study.

A UK-based provider of nature and climate intelligence has secured funding to expand its platform that translates environmental risks into financial insights, amid growing demand from large corporates to integrate natural changes and dependencies in decision-making.

Linear disturbances linked to oil and gas exploration and resource mining could be significantly increasing methane emissions from boreal peatlands, according to new research.

The EU Court of Justice has upheld rules allowing forest bioenergy projects to qualify as “sustainable” under the bloc’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, dealing a blow to NGOs that sought to overturn the regulation.

Eye on EOI - Carbon Done Right Developments has announced that its afforestation and reforestation project in Sierra Leone is seeking additional investment to expand beyond the 2,500 hectares already planted under a 2023 pre-purchase agreement. The RML project has been validated under Verra’s VM0047 restoration methodology and has received a pre-issuance rating from Sylvera. The initiative involves restoring degraded land with native tree species, supported by local communities through a Free, Prior and Informed Consent process overseen by an independent NGO. While 5,000 hectares have been mapped, the project could scale to at least 25,000 hectares, Carbon Done Right said. The company highlighted strong market demand for tropical forest restoration credits and is inviting potential investors to express interest, with a process that may close quickly depending on demand.

A Canadian biochar project developer has locked in a new partnership to deliver pyrolysis technology in Western Canada.

A new AI-powered platform aims to help carbon project developers identify compliance gaps early, potentially shortening certification timelines which often stretch for months or even years, its co-founder and CEO told Carbon Pulse in an exclusive interview ahead of the Wednesday launch.

Burkina Faso has strengthened its proposed benchmark for calculating forestry emissions under REDD+, although there are still inconsistencies with its wider greenhouse gas emissions inventory, leaving a risk of double counting, according to a UNFCCC review.

Low-carbon cement - CURA Climate and ocean carbon capture firm Captura have partnered to test bipolar membranes (BPMs) in CURA’s electrochemical cement process, which aims to cut emissions by up to 85% by extracting CO2 from limestone before it enters a kiln. Testing at CURA’s facilities showed Captura’s BPMs operate at the lowest voltages of any commercially tested membranes evaluated in the system to date, reducing energy consumption and operating costs. Captura originally developed the membranes for ocean-based carbon removal but is now manufacturing them for industrial applications including cement, lithium extraction, and desalination. Cement production accounts for roughly 8% of global CO2 emissions, with most stemming from limestone calcination.

The UNFCCC has validated Indonesia’s reported forest-sector emissions reductions under its latest submission, supporting the Southeast Asian nation in unlocking results-based climate finance, while also highlighting areas for further improvement in data transparency and consistency.

Rainforest rehab - The Sabah ranforest rehabilitation project in Malaysia has begun issuing carbon credits, with nearly 1 mln tonnes of carbon removals now available. Developed by Face the Future in partnership with Yayasan Sabah, the project has restored more than 25,000 ha of logged‑over dipterocarp rainforest. It's been awarded an A pre overall rating and an AA score for permanence by BeZero, which places it among the highest-rated Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects globally.    

Biochar scale-up – Singapore-based developer Alcom has partnered with ARKA Climate and Greenerth to develop and scale industrial-grade biochar projects in India, aiming to upgrade existing artisanal operations into larger, commercially viable systems. Under the collaboration, traditional kon-tiki kilns will be converted into advanced pyrolysis units, with Alcom supplying technology through its partnership with Tapi Healthcare. The initiative is part of Alcom’s broader strategy to expand biochar production across Asia by integrating co-products and maximising value across supply chains. The company said it is targeting the development of more than 15 plants and the generation of up to 1 MtCO2e removal in the coming years through its scale-up plans.

Forward forests – The Vanuatu government, in conjunction with the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), have refined four investment proposals for the Pacific Island’s forestry sector, to support its NDC. The four proposals focus on: afforestation and reforestation, restoration, agroforestry, and the establishment of a national forest-data system, GGGI said in a Tuesday press release. The initiative is aiming to mobilise climate finance and accelerate implementation of Vanuatu’s NDC, by strengthening investment planning for the forestry sector, said Regional Pacific NDC Hub Vanuatu Focal Point and Acting Director for the Department of Climate Change Nelson Kalo. Check out Carbon Pulse’s NDC Portal for more information on Vanuatu’s NDC 3.0.  

A nature-based project developer and an ecotourism operator have joined up to form a new venture focussing on carbon projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, and broader Southeast Asia, they announced.

A UK sustainability-focused bank has delivered a £3.3-million loan to a Scotland-based natural capital developer to scale biodiversity recovery projects across the country.