The services APC provides commences from the identification of potential projects and if acceptable develop through to certification. To achieve this APC follows the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) guidelines in the following format throughout each project development.
Initiation
- Project site ownership
- Legal review and confirmation of land ownership
- Certification of the land boundaries including mapping
- Detailed briefings to all landowners on what REDD+ will mean for them
- Extensive consultation with all landowners including neighbouring landowners
- Due diligence with all relevant government departments which may be impacted by the implementation of REDD+ Projects including non-government entities
- Project Concept Note
- Due diligence and approval from all sub-national entities such as:
- Department of Mineral Resources
- Department of Forestry
- Department of Lands & Physical Planning
- Department of Petroleum & Energy
- Department of Agriculture & Livestock
- Obtaining Free, Prior and Informed Consent from all landowners
- Land-use plan
- Benefit Sharing and Distribution Plan
- REDD+ Grievance Mechanism Plan
- Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Plan
- Business Profiles of both parties
- Obtain Project Identification Number from the relevant designated national authority – DNA (Government Project Approval)
- Registering as a Foreign Investor
- Appointment of Financial Oversight Entities (Banks, Trustees, Auditors)
The secondary steps involve:
- Identification of financiers
- Establishment of the corporate relationships
- Introduction of investors to landowners
- Confirmation of terms of investment
- Identification and appointment of foreign entities to work on the project
- Required agreements for developers registered with relevant local and government authorities
Certification of Projects
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change there are three basic processes that should must be followed to meet the certification requirements prior to seeking validation by an independent third party who will validate all requirements, processes, procedures and audited assessment that will make up a Project Development Document (PDD). Those three processes are;
- Beginning with the development of national strategies or action plans, policies and measures, and capacity-building (also known as the readiness phase),
- Followed by implementation of national policies and measures and national strategies or action plans that could involve further capacity-building, technology development and transfer and results-based demonstration activities,
- And evolving into results-based actions that should be fully measured, reported and verified, allowing countries to seek and obtain results-
Validation of Projects
The validation process of REDD+ projects involves several key steps to ensure the integrity and credibility of the projects. Here are the main components of the validation process:
Project Assessment: The project must meet the requirements set out in the VCS JNR Framework, which includes developing jurisdictional forest reference emission levels (FRELs) and nested projects.
Third-Party Validation/Verification: All JNR programs and nested REDD+ projects must be independently assessed by a third-party validation/verification body (VVB).
Complaints and Appeals Policy: The VCS Program has a Complaints and Appeals Policy that applies to all standards and programs managed by Verra.
Documentation and Updates: The JNR rules and documents are periodically updated to ensure they meet the needs of market-based mechanisms and align with the Paris Agreement.
These steps are crucial for ensuring that REDD+ projects are genuine and have a positive impact on the environment and society. The validation process helps to maintain the integrity of the carbon credit market and supports the sustainable management of forests.
Registration
The subsequent steps involve those needed to meet certification and public registration of Project Development Document status with the relevant authority which will include:
- Registration of a Project Identification Number
- Name of Project
- Type of Project
- AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses) Activities related to the Project
- Methodology to be used on evaluating the Project
- Registering the Status of the Project
- Registration of Project by country
- Registration of Estimated Annual Emission Reductions
- Region of the Project e.g. Oceania
- Project Registration Date
- Crediting Period Start Date
- Crediting Period End Date