The Katingan Mentaya Project protects and restores 149,800 hectares of peatland ecosystems in Indonesia. The surrounding land was drained and converted to palm and other plantations, and the project prevents the protected area from the same fate. The are is a vitally important and dense carbon sink. While peatlands represent only 0.3% of the earth’s surface, their destruction contributes between 2-5% of annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Katingan is one of the highest-regarded, large-scale avoided deforestation projects in the world.
Verra (VCS 1477)
Nature-based projects like this one face some risk of reversal. During the life of the project, carbon storage may be affected by flood, fire, or logging. After the project’s end date, land use changes may also reduce carbon storage.