• agriculture
• forestry
• tourism
• climate
• education
• adopt-a-rainforest
• neotropics communications
• evaluation and research
• kleinhans fellows

Carbon Standards and Services

Carbon offsets based on greenhouse gas sequestration, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods are particularly valuable in today's carbon market. The Rainforest Alliance audits forest and agroforest projects with a demonstrated ability to sequester carbon dioxide and reduce emissions. We provide carbon auditing services to Forest Stewardship Council-certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified™ and non-certified landowners or managers against the leading following carbon standards.

Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance

A project design standard for evaluation of land-based carbon mitigation projects in the early stages of development. The Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards foster the integration of best-practice and multiple-benefit approaches into project design and evolution.

View audit reports.

Chicago Climate Exchange

The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) provides standardized rules for creating offsets from:

• Reducing deforestation and degradation;
• Afforestation/reforestation;
• Forest management to increase stand- and landscape-level carbon density; and
• Increasing off-site carbon stocks in wood products and enhancing product and fuel substitution.

Plan Vivo Standards

Plan Vivo offers a system for managing the supply of verifiable emission reductions from rural communities in a way that promotes sustainable livelihoods. When implemented by small-holders or communities, eligible activities include:

• Afforestation and agroforestry;
• Forest conservation;
• Restoration; and,
• Avoided deforestation.

View audit reports.

Voluntary Carbon Standard

A robust, global standard for approval of voluntary offsets. Qualifying activities include:

• Afforestation, reforestation and revegetation;
• Agricultural land management;
• Improved forest management; and
• Reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation.

View audit reports.

The Rainforest Alliance has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute to ISO 14065:2007, the international standard for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies.