ICVCM Grants Conditional CCP Approval to ACR Afforestation and Reforestation Methodology

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has approved the ACR Afforestation and Reforestation of Degraded Lands methodology as the second ARR methodology to receive CCP approval, subject to conditions restricting the approval to natural forest establishment and restoration. Approximately 7.8 million credits have been issued under this methodology and may be CCP-labelled if conditions are met.

The conditional approval covers ACR ARR methodology versions 1 through 1.2 and is limited to natural forest establishment and restoration activities, because the assessment determined additionality requirements are met only for these project types. Additionality ensures that methodologies deliver real, additional emissions reductions or removals that would not have occurred without the incentive of carbon revenues. The World Resources Institute analysis cited in the announcement found that 515 million hectares of tree cover was lost between 2001 and 2024, with 34 percent likely permanent — a figure that underscores the scale and urgency of reforestation and restoration efforts globally.

Approximately 7.8 million credits issued under the ACR Afforestation and Reforestation of Degraded Lands methodology may become CCP-labelled, subject to the approval conditions being met. The ICVCM noted that ARR methodologies offer a critical pathway to supporting forest growth and restoration, and that CCP-labelled ARR credits will finance projects with measurable, positive climate impacts. This second ARR approval follows the earlier approval of VCS VM0047 and extends the scope of high-integrity credit supply to include ACR-registered degraded land restoration projects across the United States.

Five further ARR methodologies were under assessment at the time of this announcement and expected to be concluded in the coming months. The ICVCM Governing Board Chair Annette Nazareth stated that the approval supports continued investment in high-integrity CCP-labelled credits that finance projects with measurable, positive impacts for climate. The growing number of approved ARR methodologies signals the ICVCM's intent to build a robust pipeline of nature-based removal credits that meet the rigorous standards required by buyers and regulators increasingly aligned with the CCP framework.

Key figure — 7.8 million credits issued under ACR ARR methodology eligible for CCP labelling subject to conditions