A new agreement between the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Everland will scale a portfolio of forest conservation REDD+ projects to achieve at least 10 million tons of verified emission reductions (VERs) annually with an estimated value of $2 billion over the next decade. Everland will provide funding for the creation, development, and implementation of up to 15 REDD+ projects globally, and serve as the exclusive marketing agency for the VERs generated by the projects.

This collaboration with Everland stems from a mutual interest in scaling REDD+ as a mechanism to halt deforestation, mitigate climate change, protect wildlife, and support local communities through market-based carbon financing.

The program builds on WCS’s long history of working on the ground to save wildlife and wild places in nearly 60 countries worldwide. WCS sees REDD+ as a critical tool for fighting climate change and keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius—the target agreed to in the Paris Agreement to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Through this agreement, WCS will facilitate the development of new projects in collaboration with and on land owned or controlled primarily by national governments, as well as local governments, communities, and private landholders.

Consistent with a recent civil society consensus agreement on high-quality tropical forest carbon credits, WCS and Everland share the goal of transitioning from project-based REDD+ support to jurisdictional or national programs or nesting projects within larger-scale programs where they exist and can maximize emission reductions and mitigate climate change impacts.

Everland is a specialized marketing company exclusively representing a portfolio of some of the most impactful REDD+ projects across the globe that protect wildlife and enhance the well-being of local forest communities, including WCS’s flagship REDD+ project in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia.

The Keo Seima REDD+ project started in 2010 and protects one of the most important remaining intact forests in Cambodia. It is home to the Indigenous Bunong people and has one of the greatest diversities of species in any protected area in Cambodia. The project has issued over 16.7 million VERs by avoiding over 21,500 hectares of forest loss. Last year, the project achieved a long-standing goal: to become financially sustainable through the sale of its VERs. As part of this project, WCS has helped to secure land and resource tenure for local communities, improve protected area management, and establish sustainable alternative livelihoods.

Todd Stevens, Executive Director of the WCS Markets program, said: “We must eliminate the source of 10 percent of annual global emissions by keeping forests standing. REDD+ is a means for generating the much-needed financial support for on-the-ground forest protection, wildlife conservation, and local communities. We are excited to partner with Everland on this work. They continue to serve an important role in the success of the Keo Seima project, and they share WCS’s values and ambition to scale REDD+ projects that contribute to the nature-positive mitigation action we need.”

Gerald Prolman, Everland's CEO and co-founder said: "Since 1895, WCS has established itself as one of the world's most trusted, respected, and effective wildlife conservation organizations. We are extremely proud to have been chosen as WCS’s exclusive marketing partner and we’re excited to bring 15 new high-impact REDD+ projects to the market. The projects will help meet the surging demand for high-quality VERs that companies can use toward their climate and SDG targets.”

About Everland

Everland markets high-impact forest conservation projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America that help governments and local communities prosper from protecting their forests and wildlife. Everland brings forest communities and corporations together in a common cause to protect some of the world's most important and vulnerable forests. Visit https://www.everlandmarketing.com/.