Scaling-up Community Carbon Projects A roadmap - Plan Vivo

afforestation, reforestation and
agroforestry should also be stressed.
· Standards could be supplemented by
guidance for project developers on how
to scale-up activities and provide more
institutional support.
· Standards organisations could engage
more in the promotion of data sharing
and case studies to ensure lessons are
learnt and to facilitate the
development of new, well-designed
projects.
· Standards should target high profile
companies and institutions for
endorsement to increase their visibility
· A single or platform could be developed
that provides clear information on the
applicability and scope of the different
standards.
Market Barriers
Participating in global markets for carbon
services can present opportunities for
community-based land-use projects to
access finance, but entering the market is
not necessarily easy.
Key barriers are presented here:
· Communities, and NGOs acting as
intermediaries and project managers,
may be unaccustomed to accessing
finance through market mechanisms
and engaging in trade like relationships
for conservation activities, where
marketing strategies and the capacity
to negotiate are generally necessary.
· Project managers and communities
may lack market information due to
remoteness, leading to imbalances of
power when trying to engage in the
market and negotiate payments.
· Community-based projects, particularly
those undertaking land-use activities,
are of a long-term nature and can
require significant start-up funding. The
VCM, however, is a growing market and
uncertainty of future demand makes it
difficult for many projects to enter with
ease and be confident of the financial
sustainability of entering the carbon
market.
· Demands for ‘ex-post’ credits (credits
representing delivered, verified
ecosystem services issued after
emissions reductions are made) can be
at odds with the long-term nature of
delivery of forest carbon services,
whereas resource inputs are mainly
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