Frequently asked questions

There are many natural CO₂ sinks, and their potential is far from exhausted. But do these CO₂ sinks store atmospheric CO₂ long enough to have a climate impact? Young forest stands will continuously sequester CO₂ for decades and persist beyond the project phase.

This-called "additionality" of a project is a prerequisite to be proven in the project conception. Only if it can be demonstrated to the targeted auditing standard (in our case, mostly Gold Standard) that the desired environmental performance starts to take effect once the project starts, we may begin with the implementation. Additionality in our projects means that areas are also converted into forests previously used as steppe, wasteland, or pasture. It also means that new forests arise which would not have been realized without our companies.

The state of Costa Rica takes into account privately financed afforestation projects. Such efforts are costly but necessary for a flawless "authorized credit." For example, with our projects in Costa Rica, the problem of potential double-counting of CO₂ certificates generated has been solved.

The projects are registered with the established standards for afforestation: This ensures binding and verifiable quality standards for projects at all stages of their duration. Furthermore, we will soon rely on additional digital data sources for monitoring the project parameters.

In addition to the mandatory risk reporting and risk transparency services, we will use other data sources and monitoring services in the future. Our work promotes transparency on the growth progress and health status of the tree population, provides early information on potential risks, and enables remedial action.

A project's contribution to the climate change goals SDG 13 is essential. But excellent and long-lasting projects also score points with other UN development goals. For example, we restore original terrestrial ecosystems through afforestation or ensure stable working conditions for the rural population through these projects.