During the last week of February, the VCS verification audit and CCB validation of the REDD+ Finca El Chaguaral REDD+ Project (VCS ID 4513), recently registered in Verra, took place. The project covers an area of 4,892 hectares of native forest in the Gran Chaco region of Argentina. This included intensive technical work in the field and interviews with key stakeholders in the territory.
The audit, conducted by AENOR, began with interviews with local authorities and the UCASAL teams involved. Then, in the field, 10% of the monitored plots were reviewed for biomass measurement, in order to corroborate the methodological consistency of the forest inventory that supports the estimates of avoided emissions and the generation of carbon credits. The inventory was conducted and reviewed by Ing. Manuel Cellini of the UNLP
The High Conservation Value Areas (HCVA) were also visited in the field, and the camera traps installed by Fundación Aike Biodiversidad, with the collaboration of the GMF team, were verified. The Aike and GMF teams were interviewed.
The audit then moved on to the community component, with stakeholder interviews and technical meetings with Fundación Aike to deepen the management and monitoring plans linked to biodiversity and community. Visits were made to a health center, primary and secondary schools in General Pizarro, local social referents, posts and neighboring communities, as well as to the town’s mayor’s office.
The process was accompanied by teams from Aike, GMF, Fundación Aike Biodiversidad and ProSustentia, who worked in coordination to facilitate the technical review and exchange with local stakeholders. From ProSustentia, we accompany the certification process by providing technical support in the application of VCS and CCB standards, as well as in the preparation and coordination of the audit.
The on-site audit is a key instance to ensure the environmental integrity, transparency and methodological robustness of carbon projects. For the entire team involved, it was a demanding and deeply rewarding experience, which reaffirms the commitment to the conservation of the Gran Chaco and the development of climate projects with real and verifiable impact.
