Rimba Raya has successfully passed its 2nd VCS Verification Audit by Environmental Services, verifying over 8.5 million tons of Gold level credits under the CCD Standard. During its first verification by SCS Global Services, the SCS audit team confirmed that Indonesia’s Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve had generated 2,181,352 Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. No REDD project had ever been issued this quantity of VCUs for a single year reporting period. “The Rimba Raya project has undergone a lengthy and complex review process,” said Dr. Robert J. Hurbes, SCS Executive Vice President. “The scale of this project is truly precedent setting, demonstrating a strong market value in preserving forests.”

Originally slated for conversion into palm oil plantations, the project area is now also the world’s largest privately funded reserve for the endangered Orangutan. Located in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia on the island of Borneo, and covering an area of more than 64,000 hectares, the project expects to generate an average of nearly four million tons of additional stored carbon dioxide (CO2e) per year.

The world’s largest verified “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation” (REDD) carbon offset project has now set a new milestone after successfully undergoing a 2nd round of verification by Environmental Services under the Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standard (CCBA). Verified for an unprecedented 8.5 million tons for the verification period of July 2010-June 2013 and earning Gold level certification under the CCB Standard, the project will preserve high conservation value (HCV) and carbon-rich tropical peat swamp forests, one of the most highly endangered ecosystems on the planet.