Cercarbono has launched a public consultation on a comprehensive update of its land use methodology CM-LU-002 that integrates reforestation, forest restoration, revegetation, and the establishment of woody agricultural crops into a technically rigorous framework.

Version 3.0 addresses the need for more flexible and context-specific tools in the land-use sector, particularly in regions where human intervention has significantly impacted forest and agricultural landscapes. It introduces a clearer typology of land-use transitions, regardless of whether they involve official land-use change, and provides project developers with detailed operational guidance rooted in real-world conditions.

A key innovation is the formal inclusion of revegetation as an eligible activity: defined as the re-establishment of permanent vegetative cover on non-forest lands (e.g. agricultural or pasture areas) without land-use category change. Revegetation complements other project types such as reforestation (on non-forest lands), forest restoration (on degraded forest areas), and establishment of woody agricultural crops.

The methodology enhances environmental integrity by strengthening the additionality assessment in line with Cercarbono’s new Additionality Tool (V2.0.1), which introduces a more structured evaluation of financial, regulatory and technological barriers. For baseline definition, the updated methodology adopts a dual modelling approach, allowing projects to select between classical statistical models and predictive models (e.g. machine learning). Both must integrate biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions, ensuring that baseline scenarios reflect the actual dynamics of land use and ecosystem services.

Catalina Romero, Technical Director at Cercarbono said “This methodology represents a major advance in how the voluntary carbon market addresses complex land-use realities. By introducing clearer classifications, strengthening additionality, and embracing modern modelling techniques, we’re enabling project developers to operate with more confidence and transparency, while maintaining the highest standards of environmental and social integrity.”

The methodology is fully aligned with Cercarbono’s Safeguards Guidelines, ensuring compliance with national and international legal frameworks, the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), protection of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and environmental safeguards based on principles of non-degradation, restoration, and intergenerational equity. All compliance criteria must be demonstrated at the validation and verification stages.

Cercarbono has also released a new technical guidance document: Guidelines for Using Models in Baseline Carbon Quantification in the Land Use Sector (Version 1.0) for public consultation. The guidance outlines standardised procedures for estimating baseline GHG emissions and removals in AFOLU projects using both classical and predictive modelling approaches. It encourages the integration of advanced data sources, such as satellite imagery, spectral indices, and remote sensing technologies like LiDAR. The guidance also provides definitions, assumptions, and integrity criteria that align with market expectations and regulatory developments, including the Article 6.4 mechanism under the Paris Agreement.

The consultation period for both documents will run from 7 July to 6 August 2025, during which stakeholders, including project developers, validation and verification bodies (VVBs), public institutions, academic and research institutions, and civil society organizations, are invited to submit comments through Cercarbono’s consultation portal www.cercarbono.com/public-consultation-of-documents. 

Comments will be reviewed by Cercarbono’s technical team and, where appropriate, incorporated into the final versions of both documents, expected to be released later this year.