Nicaforest

Nicaforest is located in the Chontales region of Nicaragua and it is composed of four different farms: Amelia, Rosario de Fatima, Santa Maria and Santa Elena.The project is based on the Clean Development Mechanism and it is Gold Standard and FSC certified. It confers environmental impacts such as protection of the local ecosystem and watershed management, as well as social impacts such as community education, food security and local economic growth.

Since 2010, the project has planted 360 000 teak trees on degraded land and removed 98000 tons of CO2 through four project areas. Through workshops, they are both educating the community on how they can be sustainable and enabling them to do so.

Nicaforest's mission goes beyond carbon mitigation. They are dedicated to empowering the local community in order to create a sustainable value chain. They are working to surpass net zero emissions by including the people of Nicaragua in the reforestation process and developing diverse programs to go alongside. These include educational workshops and a shared benefit lease agreement. They believe carbon sequestration should have an impact that extends beyond climate.

• The project supports biodiversity by reforesting areas between pre-existing patches of natural forest, providing more habitat for wildlife.
• Provides an alternative income source to cattle grazing, by creating local earning opportunities through timber and carbon credit revenue.
• 15-20% of the carbon credit revenue goes to local landowners participating in the project.
• Reforestation promotes water and soil quality by increasing local evaporation and reducing erosion. Trees also increase the amount of carbon and other nutrients stored in soil, supporting local ecosystems and livelihoods.
• The project is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ensuring that the project area is sustainably managed.

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Nicaforest is wholly committed to generating a positive environmental influence through a range of initiatives beyond reforestation and carbon sequestration. To succeed in their mission of shaping the regions' development for years to come, Nicaforest invests in giving the local community the opportunity to be sustainable, not just the knowledge on how to do so. They wish to contribute significantly to the preservation and restoration of ecosystems, social development and combating climate change by making an impact beyond carbon.

“The expansion of the carbon credits market is not solely motivated by the obligation to meet requirements, nor is it a fleeting trend. It is propelled by society's recognition of the severity of the situation at hand. At Nicaforest, we take immense pride in being pioneers of this movement, fully aware that each credit we sell contributes to society's efforts in rectifying their past mistakes.”

Øyvind Berg, CEO of NicaForest

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Education holds the key to the future of sustainable development, and Nicaforest takes pride in nurturing education within the community through  workshops. By doing so, they create a lasting positive impact that extends beyond their high-impact reforestation project. Their initiatives provide opportunities and knowledge to local students, from primary school to university level. These initiatives are part of their efforts in reaching the UNs Sustainable Development Goals, mainly SDG 4: Quality Education.

They believe that access to education not only fosters community value creation but also plays a fundamental role in achieving equality. With sustainable development as our common theme, Nicaforest strives to shape the region's overall development for years to come.

Nicaforest's awards and certifications:

• Gold Standard certified - Gold Standard foundation are considered among the most rigorous climate standards by many NGOs, including WWF and the David Suzuki Foundation. The organization was established in 2003 and is widely recognized as a mark of quality for climate and development projects.
• Gold Standard for the Global Goals - The Global Goals certification holds organizations to an even higher standard and requires meticulous reporting of impact on the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. In Nicaforest's case: SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 13: Climate.
• Forest Stewardship Council - Forest Stewardship Council™' is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible forestry. Nicaforest's team is working to embody these values and lead by example what they consider to be a fundamental part of sustainable forestry development.