Misiones REDD+ Program

A carbon credit represents the reduction or removal of one ton of CO2 equivalent. By canceling a carbon credit, the buyer of that credit offsets the emission of one ton of CO2 equivalent.

Governments and companies that wish to offset their greenhouse gas emissions can purchase such carbon credits from projects and programs certified by international standards that certify the quality, permanence, and additionality of the project and program, and that allow traceability of carbon credits through an independent registry. The Province of Misiones will use the JNR Framework administered by VERRA.

When a carbon credit is sold, ownership of the land or forest that originates that carbon credit is not transferred. Only a certificate issued by the certification standard is sold, demonstrating a one-ton carbon reduction with reference to a baseline.

A jurisdictional program is a government-led program that includes a set of policies and measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and certifying such reductions under a voluntary carbon standard.

To learn how many tons of gases are emitted in Argentina per year, you can consult the Documents section.

When a jurisdiction wants to demonstrate that its program is successful, meaning it achieves a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, it must quantify annual emissions and compare them against a reference level.

This reference level is based on the jurisdiction's historical deforestation. To learn what the reference baseline is that the program uses for Misiones, you can consult the Documents section.

The Province of Misiones, by deciding to certify emission reductions and sell the resulting carbon credits, is seeking to finance the provincial REDD+ strategy with the objective of reducing deforestation and degradation of native forests.

Precisely to avoid the commodification of the jungle that other jurisdictions have done by deforesting their forests to allow the advance of agriculture and livestock, the Province of Misiones has found a legally valid financing mechanism that rewards conservation and sustainable use of the forest, and that does not generate new debt for the Provincial Government.

Private landowners can participate in the jurisdictional program by carrying out activities that reduce deforestation and degradation of native forests on their properties.

The Province will design and implement a plan to distribute the income from the jurisdictional program. Inhabitants receive monetary and/or non-monetary incentives so that the owner does not carry out activities that deforest or degrade. The income distribution plan is in the design process.

When the Province demonstrates that as a result of program activities emissions are reduced, the Province receives carbon credits (Verified Carbon Units or VCUs) which it can sell to organizations interested in buying carbon credits willing to pay a price for said carbon credits.

The Province of Misiones has signed a trust agreement with Banco Macro whereby funds derived from the sale of carbon credits are distributed according to a benefit distribution plan.

The Government of the Province of Misiones is conducting various calls so that the general population can learn about the program, its progress, and the results of the carbon credit certification and sale process.

Some international financial organizations, such as the Green Climate Fund and the Carbon Fund administered by the World Bank, have an ecosystem services payment program. In this sense, a jurisdiction receives funds and the payment per ton of reduced CO2 is decided by the donor. In the case of Argentina, the agreement with the Green Climate Fund is implemented through the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

The Misiones REDD+ Program, being a certification using voluntary carbon market standards, receives income from the sale of said credits at a price negotiated in the voluntary market through freely decided operations between the buyer and seller of said carbon credits.