Project development is complex and can be daunting, but at EcoAct we understand every critical step. With more than 16 years of experience in developing projects and working in the Voluntary Carbon Market, EcoAct has guided hundreds of clients in supporting and developing high-integrity offsetting projects worldwide. Our developed projects range from ecosystem restoration to renewable fuel switching and distribution of improved household energy technologies. Both Nature and Technology-Based Solutions have an importance role to play in the global transition to net-zero and we recognise the important need for scaling up these actions. Therefore, we are working with partners to develop ground-breaking projects which aim to protect the strongest carbon sinks in the world as well as tackle pressing social and environmental challenges.
| Project type | Project size |
|---|---|
| Forest conservation | ≥ 20,000 hectares of standing forest |
| Land-based restoration | ≥ 1,000 hectares to be restored |
| Mangrove restoration | ≥ 500 hectares to be restored |
| Agroforestry | ≥ 1,000,000 trees planted |
| Improved cookstoves | ≥ 15,000 beneficiary households |
| Water access | ≥ 15,000 water filters / water kiosks |
| Renewable energy | ≥ 10MW installed capacity |
| Orchard plantation in French territory | Label bas-carbone specific requirements/criteria |
| Coastal and marine ecosystems preservation in French territory | Label bas-carbone specific requirements/criteria |
| Biochar production | Standard-specific requirements/criteria |
Project sourcing and evaluation
Feasibility
Contracting
Implementation
Operation
Project sourcing and evaluation
The first step taken by our Nature & Technology-based Solutions team is to seek and/or respond to potential partners either wishing to develop a project from scratch or in search of technical support to certify projects in advanced stages of development.
The proposed projects are assessed against a set of strict criteria aligned to ICROA standards and best practices identified by EcoAct and Atos through their long experience. The criteria consider factors such as the project size, technology, legal framework, financial viability, and local context.
Feasibility
On-desk and on-site due diligence is carried out to assess feasibilityIf our minimum conditions are met, the team engages in the feasibility study phase, which grows in complexity over a period of 3 to 6 months. During this time, our team will use our ©EcoScore tool for project development to assess more than 30 criteria around 6 main risks categories: financial and political, legal, owner experience, reputation, social and environmental and certification. On-site audits are also a central component of our enhanced due diligence, a fundamental complement to off-site analyses.
Contracting
If the due diligence phase is passed, work begins with local partners on the project design and implementation plan, the action plan and the financial model. Local beneficiaries are at the heart of this process.
Budgets are designed individually through a bottom-up approach, to identify and deliver on specific needs to fulfil the main project activities, and to ensure the delivery of co-benefits such as improved education, health, water and energy access, amongst others. All of these elements are reported internally in our Project Identification Note and formalised after the closure of contracts between the parties involved.
As most projects require additional, external funding, our team will, once the due diligence has been completed, start to present it to potential investors and develop a communication strategy to promote it externally.
Implementation
At this stage, the team proceeds to support our partners in the certification process. The initial phase includes the development of the Project Design Document, which describes all the project activities, including details related to the emissions reductions or removals, and the parameters to measure the co-benefits, which will be monitored throughout the project lifetime.
Upon completion, and once project activities have started on the ground, the project is registered and validated externally by a verification body, approved by the chosen voluntary standard. Once approved, a validation report is issued, certifying it as a carbon offsetting project.
Operation
EcoAct supports the monitoring and verification of the certified project, together with the issuance and sale of the carbon credits generated.Over the course of the project lifetime, which lasts around 15-30 years, depending on the methodology applied, EcoAct will continuously pilot the implementation of project activities and ensure the periodical monitoring and verification process to issue carbon credits.
EcoAct will present the project to potential clients throughout its lifetime, including at feasibility stages for investment opportunities, and boost its marketing and communication to ensure maximum reach and the ongoing success of the project.
Semilla Azul is a blue carbon project being developed by EcoAct and Resiliencia Azul, a Mexican women-led NGO in consortium with restoration specialists from CINVESTAV, Programa Mexicano del Carbono and The Autonomous University of Mexico. The aim of the project is to restore 5,000 hectares of mangrove forest in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
Mexico has the fourth highest mangrove cover in the world, and the Yucatán hosts some of the most unique mangrove ecosystems of all, such as the Petén, which unlike most mangroves, grows in freshwater. These mangrove forests are biodiversity hotspots – according to UNESCO, up to 304 migratory and residential bird species have been recorded in these ecosystems. These mangroves also act as nursery areas for fish with commercial value, thereby supporting local economies and livelihoods. Resiliencia Azul, as our local partner, is working on the ground to restore these forests and secure the ecosystem services they provide.
