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We love planting trees – but that’s not all we do. Ecologi also helps preserve the world’s existing forests by supporting carbon reduction projects that prevent degradation and deforestation.

Why are forest protection projects important?

Home to most of the world’s biodiversity, forests also play a crucial role in supporting the supply of water, and help to combat climate change. Additionally, forests all over the world provide livelihoods for local communities and are essential for food production. The forest protection projects Ecologi supports are important because forests across the planet are being destroyed at alarming rates. Since the 90s, roughly <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca8642en/CA8642EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">420 million hectares of forest</a> have been lost to make room for <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/industries-and-sectors-driving-deforestation-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other land uses</a>, like agricultural expansion.   
Tackling deforestation helps us to tackle our planet&#8217;s biggest problems: the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. Deforestation is the leading cause of biodiversity loss, while the associated carbon emissions of land-use change are thought to be <a href="https://drawdown.org/solutions/forest-protection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10-15% of the world&#8217;s total</a> emissions – more than the entire global transport sector.

Avoiding deforestation is part of the solution

Put simply, we can combat deforestation just by planting more trees. The FAO 2020 <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca8642en/CA8642EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the World’s Forest Report</a> says that we need large-scale reforestation to meet the <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UN Sustainable Development Goals</a> and stop –and reverse– biodiversity loss. Through forest restoration can we restore habitats and ecosystems, and create jobs and generate income for local communities. Reforestation is an effective nature-based solution to climate change, but making sure areas of existing forest stay in tact is just as important.

Over <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca8642en/CA8642EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a third (34%)</a> of the world&#8217;s forests are primary forests. These are naturally generated forests of native tree species where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity. Primary forests are invaluable for their biodiversity, carbon storage and other benefits to ecosystems.
Comparing primary forests with both secondary (those established through natural expansion and around 14–16 years old) and planted forests, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/104/47/18555" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one study of species richness</a> found that 25% of the species were unique to primary forests, with almost 60% only present in primary forests. If we allow the destruction of primary forests to continue, we risk losing species that we can never get back.

Forest protection projects and carbon storage

Primary forests, or old-growth or virgin forests, are also a priority for valuable carbon storage. The likes of the Amazon, Congo and Great Bear Rainforest have mature canopy trees and complex understories, containing <a href="https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/forest-protection/technical-summary#:~:text=Project%20Drawdown%20defines%20forest%20protection,replaces%20non%2Dprotected%20forest%20land.&amp;text=They%20represent%20massive%20storehouses%20of%20carbon%20in%20soils%20and%20biomass." target="_blank" rel="noopener">an estimated 300 billion tonnes of carbon</a>. 
According to Project Drawdown, forest protection has the potential to avoid the emission of <a href="https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/forest-protection/technical-summary#:~:text=Project%20Drawdown%20defines%20forest%20protection,replaces%20non%2Dprotected%20forest%20land.&amp;text=They%20represent%20massive%20storehouses%20of%20carbon%20in%20soils%20and%20biomass." target="_blank" rel="noopener">5.52 to 8.75 gigatons of CO2e </a>between 2020 and 2050, while <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0485-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another recent study</a> shows that avoided deforestation offers between 7.2 and 9.6 times the potential for low-cost climate mitigation as reforestation. 
Of course, forest restoration is still vital, but prevention is better than cure. As well as planting new trees, we should also protect existing forests because they store more carbon, and contain plants and animals that we may never see in planted or restored forests. That&#8217;s why, at Ecologi, we do both!

Forest protection projects Ecologi has supported

These projects are part of the Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (<a href="https://www.un-redd.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">REDD+</a>) scheme. They place an area of forest under protection through long-term forest management. These are some of the forest protection programmes Ecologi has supported most recently:

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<h3>1. Preserving prime Brazilian rainforests</h3>
This project is protecting and restoring 186,219 hectares of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. This area of the rainforest hosts eight endangered mammal species, and numerous endangered bird and plant species. The project will prevent the deforestation of 30,0006 hectares over its 30 years project lifetime, which equates to 14,507,808 tCO2e in emissions reductions. 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Emissions avoided by Ecologi through this project: 1300 tCO2e </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sustainable Development Goals supported: Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13: Climate Action and Goal 15: Life on Land. </li>
</ul>

<h3>2. Protecting the Amazon Rainforest from deforestation in Brazil</h3>
Ecologi has supported a fantastic project protecting 496,988 hectares of the Brazilian rainforest, rich in biodiversity and containing several species of extreme ecological and social importance. Six critically endangered or threatened species will benefit from the reduction of threats as a result of the project activities. For the 30-year phase of the project, an estimated 15,491,971 tonnes of CO2e will be saved from entering the atmosphere.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Emissions avoided by Ecologi through this project: 1750 tCO2e </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sustainable Development Goals supported: Goal 2: Zero hunger, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 5: Gender Equality, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13: Climate Action, and Goal 15: Life on Land </li>
</ul>

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<h3>3. Protecting and restoring the Pacific Coast of Columbia</h3>
This avoided deforestation project based on the Pacific coast of Columbia protects 83,452 hectares of land containing over 831 bird species, 195 amphibians, 167 mammals, 210 reptiles and 5124 plant species. Illegal timber extraction has historically been an important source of income within this project zone, and the project aims to relieve the pressure on the forests by supporting the development of sustainable economic and livelihood alternatives. 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Emissions avoided by Ecologi through this project: 2500 tCO2e </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sustainable Development Goals supported:  Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 5: Gender Equality, Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and Goal 13: Climate Action.</li>
</ul>

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<h3>4. Preserving the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Guatemala</h3>
This project sets out to protect and restore 54,157 hectares of land in the Guatemalan section of the Mesoamerican biological corridor by saving the existing areas of forest, establishing areas of reforestation, reducing illegal logging and providing alternative revenue streams from forest production, like sustainable agroforestry. 
Additionally, this project offers community objectives, like providing full access to reproductive health information and care for local women, and ensuring that a sufficient household income for local people is provided from sustainable practices.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Emissions avoided by Ecologi through this project: 4400 tCO2e </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sustainable Development Goals supported: Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, Goal 13: Climate Action, Goal 14: Life below Water and Goal 15: Life on Land. </li>
</ul>

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<h3>5. Peruvian protection of the Amazon</h3>
We have supported this project which is protecting 98,932 hectares of the Amazonian rainforest in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. This project secures the long-term conservation and sustainable management of the forest, promotes a healthy wildlife habitat, and will prevent 659,793 tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere each year. 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Emissions avoided by Ecologi through this project: 4450 tCO2e </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">SDG co-benefits: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 1: No Poverty, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 4: Quality Education, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 5: Gender Equality, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 10, Reduced inequalities, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 11: sustainable cities and communities, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 12: responsible consumption and production, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 13: Climate Action, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 15: Life on Land, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 16: Peace justice and strong institutions; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Goal 17: partnerships for the global goals. </li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

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The co-benefits of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Ecologi only supports and funds carbon offsetting projects which support SDG 13 – Climate Action. However, many of the projects we support – especially those avoiding deforestation – offer SDG co-benefits. This means that they provide a verified and well-documented benefit to other goals in addition to Climate Action. To find out more about our SDG co-benefits, have a look at our <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/updates/ecologi-impact-report-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 climate impact report.</a>

Summary: Why forest protection projects are important

Protecting existing rainforests is a vital strategy to tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis. Forests contain vast amounts of biodiversity and store masses of carbon. That&#8217;s why Ecologi plants thousands of trees AND funds forest protection projects through carbon credits, benefiting both wildlife and the community. 
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<a href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up</a> to Ecologi today to help fund these amazing projects to protect existing rainforests around the world.

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UK Voluntary Carbon Market Guide: Best Practices for Climate Action

The voluntary carbon market plays an important role in corporate climate strategies – but its effectiveness relies on buyers doing due diligence and rigorous quality assessment on each project, as well as placing the purchase of credits in the right place in the climate journey.
To ensure meaningful climate impact, businesses must develop a comprehensive carbon strategy and find ways to fund only high-quality credits in the voluntary carbon market – and this guide shows you how to do so with Ecologi.

<h2>Table of contents</h2>
<ul>
<li>When to buy carbon credits</li>
<li>Our new carbon projects assessment framework</li>
<li>Ecologi&#8217;s core due diligence principles</li>
<li>How Ecologi scores and ranks carbon credit projects</li>
<li>Questions to ask your carbon credit supplier</li>
<li>Take action in the voluntary carbon market</li>
</ul>

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<h2>When should businesses buy carbon credits in the voluntary market?</h2>
Businesses must not use credits in place of making direct, measurable reductions in their emissions. Instead, follow these steps to ensure you buy your carbon credits on the right step of your corporate climate action journey, and in the right way:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Measure your emissions first – to allow you to understand where your business’s emissions are coming from. 
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Set science-based targets and work towards them – set ambitious targets aligned with the SBTi and compatible with the global 1.5ºC warming target.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) – design your BVCM portfolio to work alongside your decarbonisation plan and address your unabated emissions in each reporting year. Align it with SBTi guidance and the Oxford Principles. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Buy high-quality carbon credits – use this guide to ensure the carbon credits you buy meet rigorous quality standards. Remember, under the SBTi framework you’ll also need permanent carbon removal credits for neutralising your residual emissions when you reach your net-zero date.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Disclose and report transparently – publicly disclose information about your carbon credit purchases, and clearly communicate the limited role of carbon credits in your broader sustainability strategy.</li>
</ol>

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<h2>Ecologi&#8217;s carbon project assessment framework</h2>
In April 2025, we published a report summarising how we assess carbon credit projects against our rigorous proprietary rubric. A snapshot of what goes into our carbon credit project assessment is below, or you <a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20250428124112/Ecologi_Whitepaper_A4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">download the full whitepaper here</a>.

<h2>Carbon project due diligence: Ecologi’s core principles</h2>
At Ecologi, we maintain general due diligence principles which we apply universally across the voluntary carbon market, to support our efforts to supply only high-quality carbon credits.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">ICROA-endorsed standards only – we supply credits exclusively from carbon standards which are ICROA-endorsed.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Responsive to ICVCM decisions – we support the ICVCM’s two-tick approach to providing CCP-Approval to project methodologies, and we go further still, to assess individual projects on their merits and limitations as well.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Keep the carbon credit life cycle as short as possible – 75% of our credits in 2024 came directly from project developers and their nominated dispensaries (as opposed to intermediaries on the secondary market), maximising the proportion of purchase price which goes to the developer.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Locally-appropriate projects only – we take care to ensure that supported projects are being applied in appropriate geographies, where they can have the greatest impact.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deep project-level scrutiny – our extensive assessment criteria are specific to each type of project, and we assess every project against these criteria, ensuring the project’s specifics have been taken into account.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Methodological consensus – we synthesise data we receive from our partners Sylvera, BeZero Carbon, Calyx Global and Renoster) with our own in-house analysis to uncover where there is consensus about project quality, and improve confidence.</li>
</ul>

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<h2>How to evaluate carbon credits: Ecologi&#8217;s scoring methodology</h2>
We designed a three-layer assessment process which takes into account the merits and limitations of the carbon standard used, the carbon credit methodology used, and of the individual project design.
The tables below summarise some of the data inputs we use at each stage.

<h3>Assessment level: Carbon Standard</h3>
Examples: Gold Standard, Verra, Puro Earth, Isometric, Plan Vivo.

<h3>Assessment level: Methodology (or ‘Protocol’)</h3>
Examples: GS TPDDTEC, VM0048, ACM0002.

<h3>Assessment level: Project</h3>
Examples: GS 10790, VCS 1571.

Criteria in the assessment are categorised as either quality criteria or risk criteria, and are segmented by our three pillars of impact: Climate, Nature and People. Based on how it meets each criterion, the project gains points for quality criteria, and loses points for excess risk – ultimately giving a risk-adjusted value out of 100 for each of these pillars.
Having gathered our risk-adjusted pillar scores, we use our own unique scoring formula which weights the risk-adjusted Climate score of the project equally with the combined risk-adjusted Nature and People scores. The formula then produces an ‘overall’ score (also out of 100) for the project. In order to be supplied by Ecologi, projects must meet a minimum overall score of 80, and must achieve no lower than 65 in any given risk-adjusted pillar score.

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<h2>Key questions to ask carbon credit suppliers</h2>
Selecting the right carbon credit provider is important to help guide you to make informed choices as part of your corporate sustainability strategy. Before purchasing carbon credits, businesses should ask:
<h3>Project quality </h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you assess/validate/underwrite project quality? If so, how?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do your projects get good ratings from the ratings agencies? If so, what ratings are they?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you source credits directly from project developers, or from the secondary market?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you monitor projects over time to ensure continued success, and how do you remedy it, if a project&#8217;s quality drops?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Due diligence</h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you ensure you are supporting the right projects in the right locations?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you account for project permanence and mitigate risks?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What makes your projects additional?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you assess the project&#8217;s impacts on climate, nature and people?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Positioning</h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you contribute to the development of a high integrity voluntary carbon market?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you align your portfolios with the Oxford Principles? If so, how?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you reflect ICVCM guidance on carbon credit methodologies and technologies?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you build multi-year portfolios that align to mid- &amp; long-term SBTs?</li>
</ul>
As the voluntary carbon market evolves, corporate buyers have the power and the responsibility to demand high-impact credits to drive real climate progress. This means buyers have a responsibility to do due diligence before placing an order for carbon credits.

<h2>Take action in the voluntary carbon market</h2>
As a business committed to corporate climate action, understanding the voluntary carbon market is essential for making informed decisions about carbon credits. Our comprehensive whitepaper provides deeper insights into creating an effective sustainability strategy.
<a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20250428124112/Ecologi_Whitepaper_A4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download our full whitepaper</a> to learn how your business can navigate the voluntary carbon market with confidence.

<h2>Connect with one of our climate experts</h2>
Please complete our form to arrange a 30-minute discovery call to discuss your goals and get a tailored solution for your business.

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Ecologi’s Forest Protection Projects

Why are forest protection projects important?

Avoiding deforestation is part of the solution

Protecting primary forests

Forest protection projects and carbon storage

Forest protection projects Ecologi has supported

The co-benefits of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Summary: Why forest protection projects are important

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UK Voluntary Carbon Market Guide: Best Practices for Corporate Climate Action

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