In plain English
Afforestation & Reforestation of Lands
Afforestation & Reforestation of Lands is a removal method run by Clean Development Mechanism. People often refer to it by its code, AR-ACM0003. It works in the forestry space.
In short
A/R removals on degraded or non-forest land.
What it is
AR-ACM0003 is a consolidated baseline and monitoring methodology of the Clean Development Mechanism for afforestation and reforestation project activities on lands that do not qualify as wetlands. Eligible activities involve establishing tree cover through planting or seeding on land that has been non-forest, and the methodology quantifies net greenhouse gas removals by sinks. Carbon stock increases are counted in above-ground biomass and below-ground biomass, with deadwood, litter, and soil organic carbon as optional pools. Each unit corresponds to one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent of net anthropogenic removals, issued as temporary or long-term certified emission reductions.
What it rewards
The reward is a credit called a Verified Carbon Unit (VCU). One credit stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere (or taken back out of it). One tonne of CO₂-equivalent verified-and-issued. A whole period of work is issued as one batch of credits at a time, in the same way a registry issues a batch.
What gets measured
To earn VCU credits, a project has to measure and prove a few things. An independent reviewer checks the evidence before any credits are issued.
The baseline: what would most likely have happened to the land or the emissions if the project had not gone ahead.
The activity data for the period, with clear units and a clear source for every number.
The net result actually achieved, checked by an independent reviewer before any credits are issued.
Who takes part
Standard Registry. Owns the policy, approves participants, anchors each issuance to its evidence.
Project Proponent. Registers the project and submits monitoring reports.
Validation & Verification Body. Independently validates the design and verifies monitored data.
How it works
- 1
The project team registers the project and its plan.
- 2
An independent reviewer checks that the plan is sound and that the benefit is real and would not have happened anyway.
- 3
The team looks after the site and measures the agreed indicators over time.
- 4
The independent reviewer verifies those measurements.
- 5
Credits are issued for the verified result, and a buyer can retire a credit to claim the benefit once.
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