Rainforest del Ecuador recently submitted the project summary for the “Conservation and Sustainable
Management of the UKUMARI Cloud Forest” to Verra (Verified Carbon Standard program), the world´s
largest and leading voluntary program for the certification of GHG emission reduction projects. The
project summary was accepted and Rainforest del Ecuador now has an account with Verra for
registering multiple projects and listing verification of greenhouse gas reductions and removals through
project activities.
The “Conservation and Sustainable Management of the UKUMARI Cloud Forest” project corresponds to
the 9,190 hectare property, mentioned in prior press releases as the San Vicente de Cambugán
property, acquired by Rainforest del Ecuador in October 2020. The project proposes actions for
protecting and conserving the UKUMARI Cloud Forest located on the property, as well as reforesting and
implementing regenerative agriculture and biodiversity-friendly agroforestry practices in the deforested
areas of the property in order to achieve the project objectives of biodiversity conservation, climate
mitigation and community development. The project strategy aims at transforming the community
members from being the major agents of deforestation into both protectors of the forest and the major
agents of RE-forestation. In terms of climate mitigation, conservation of the UKUMARI Cloud Forest will
prevent carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere while reforestation and regenerative
agriculture practices on the property will drawdown carbon from the atmosphere. Avoiding carbon
emissions by protecting forests and drawing down carbon through natural carbon capture by plants are
global imperatives that must be carried out as soon as possible.
Currently, Rainforest del Ecuador’s technical team continues to develop the project design and
documentation following the strict standards of Verra’s Climate, Community and Biodiversity Program.
Completion of the project design and documentation stage is expected by the end of January 2021 when
the finalized project documents will be submitted to Verra for review. Once Verra approves the project
documentation, the project proposal will undergo a 30-day public comment period after which project
validation by an independent third party can take place. Once project validation is complete Rainforest
del Ecuador will use the status and credibility of the project listing on the Verra website to channel
funding for project execution