A carbon credit scheme that was put on hold after allegations of rights abuses has been reinstated after more than a year of review, a verification body said.
The Southern Cardamom REDD+ project was halted after a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report alleged forced evictions and harassment of residents living near the forest protected by the scheme.
The project of over 450,000ha generated carbon credits – bought by companies to offset emissions – by protecting forest it said would otherwise have been cut down.
But HRW and local villagers said rangers and officials from the Wildlife Alliance (WA) group overseeing the project had destroyed crops, dismantled homes and set fire to rice.
Locals also complained that the protected area was poorly delineated and they had not been properly consulted about the project.
However, Verra, the world’s lead certifier of carbon credits, said late on Tuesday that WA had now taken “sufficient action” to address the allegations.
That included an improved human rights policy and training, better processes for consulting locals and revising a complaints mechanism. — AFP
