REDD+ projects are definitely special among climate change mitigation projects and even within the forestry sector. They have enormous social and environmental co-benefits, they are charismatic and appeal to the desire of everybody, since who doesn’t want to save the rainforests?

1. VCS + CCB Gold

Both Standards are fundamental and complementary. VCS guarantees the transparency and accuracy of carbon accounting and CCB guarantees positive social and environmental benefits. It is also very positive to achieve Gold Level within the CCB Standard. The Jaguar Amazon REDD Project will achieve VCS + CCB Gold certification

2. Tagging VCUs

The CCB Label is a key foundational tool of both VCS and CCB. It can only be obtained when you comply simultaneously with these 4 achievements: VCS Validation, VCS Verification, CCB Validation and CCB Verification. The Label enables the demonstration of multiple benefits in community participation and biodiversity conservation. The Jaguar Amazon REDD Project will achieve the 4 requirements and therefore its VCUs will be tagged with the CCB Label

3. Additionality

Additionality is evaluated both by the VCS and CCB Standards. But, it is essential for the additionality of a project to be unquestionable to the public and the scientific community. The Jaguar Amazon REDD Project additionality is unquestionable since the construction of the interoceanic road that traverses its until now untouched rainforest is a very clear case of additionality, due to the deforestation that the consequent immigration causes.

4. Land tenure

The perfect land tenure combination that guarantees the maximum quality of a REDD+ Project in time, consists of an association between private companies and public institutions. Private companies guarantee efficiency in execution and the public component guarantees transparency, additional control and permanence. Without doubt, the best combination is that of the Government having the tenure of the land and rainforest together with a private company executing the project for an extended time. When land tenure depends only on the Government, projects are dependent on the changes of mind of the different politicians. When land tenure is only in private hands, the future of the rainforest is dependent on its maximum profit, which generally does not coincide with conservation. The Jaguar Amazon REDD Project has been given in concession to private companies for at least 80 years, but the tenure of the land and the rainforest is in the hands of the Peruvian Government, which annually audits the conservation of the rainforest.