The Forest

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Protecting 166 ha of tropical rainforest on Eastern Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Habitat for the critically endangered Vanuatu Megapode bird (Megapodu freycinet layardi), and the critically endangered Coconut Crab (Birgus latro). It is also home to several endemic birds including the Vanuatu Kingfisher (Halycon farquhari), the Vanuatu Flycatcher (Neolalage banksiana), the Vanuatu Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus tannensis), the Vanuatu White-eye (Sosterops flavifrons), the Santo Mountain Starling (Aplonis santovestris), the Vanuatu Imperial Pigeon (Ducula bakeri), and the Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis). This rainforest also provides valuable protection from cyclones, floods and droughts for the Loru local people.

The Loru Forest Project combines protection of coastal rainforest and agroforestry - particularly nut production from the Melanesian Chestnut (Canarium indium). This project generates 2,442 carbon offsets annually, certified to the Plan Vivo carbon standard.


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Loru coconut Crab

Loru coconut Crab

Nangai nut

Nangai nut


The People

This project is owned by the Serkar Clan of indigenous ni-Vanuatu landowners at Loru, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. The clan consists of five extended families of some 50 individuals descended from Chief Serkar (1913-1997).

These landowners have given up rights to land clearance for coconut plantations in exchange for the opportunity to sell rainforest carbon offsets as a way of generating revenue for local economic development. This project also provides governance and management support and capacity building for community enterprise at Loru. This is to help the Loru landowners manage the rainforest conservation project and develop spin-off community businesses - the first of which is a community business producing and selling agroforestry produce (e.g. Canarium nuts) from adjacent lands that they own and manage.

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The Location

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Technical Stuff

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The Loru coastal rainforest is protected as a Community Conservation Area under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act (2010). This project generates 2,442 carbon offsets annually, with the first issuance expected in the second quarter of 2016.
This project underwent project development between 2012 and 2015 with funding from the European Union. This involved a lengthy process of landowner consultation and participation, methodology design and validation, and project design, development, implementation and monitoring. International validation and first verification was completed in Q1 2016.  The project and its carbon offsets are certified to the Plan Vivo Standard - the world's leading community-based, fair-trade styled rainforest carbon standard. Scroll down to access technical documents.

Audited by CPMA International (Sweden) using auditors experienced in the CDM and VCS Standards. Its carbon offsets were issued by Markit Environmental Registry in London (the world's leading environmental registry).

Download Technical Reports:


Follow The Money

Rainforest conservation costs money. The main cost elements are:

  1. Timber opportunity costs and conservation management costs for rainforest owners.

  2. Measurement, reporting and verification costs of an internationally certified project.

  3. Sales & Marketing costs needed to monetize carbon offset units.

When carbon credits are sold from this project the revenue goes to cover these costs.

We can provide wholesale pricing and project cost details for carbon offset resellers on request.


Project Partners

This project was developed by the Nakau Programme Pty Ltd. Technical support was provided by Carbon Partnership and WCS, with funding from the European Union. The project is certified to the Plan Vivo Standard and was audited by CPMA (Sweden).