Project/Juridiction proponent

Project/Juridiction Partners

Project characteristics

• ID-RECCO ID
  124
• Project status 2022
  Ended
• Project name
  Return to Forest: Mitigating Climate Change through the Restoration and Conservation of Endangered Forest Ecosystems
• Secondary name
  Return to Forest
• Country
  Nicaragua
• Last IDRECCO update year
  2020
• Size (in hectare)
  406
• Start year
  2008
• End year
  2048
• Duration
  40
• Project description
  In this project, communities and landowners (mostly cattle ranchers) carry out tree planting using nearly 70 different native tree species on former forest lands that have been cleared over the years for cattle ranching - one of the most common, but increasingly unsustainable and unprofitable land uses in the region. Through replanting, the project will regenerate dry and most tropical forests and increase forest connectivity, enabling the restoration of biological corridors . The project also keeps the needs of the local people at heart. The Return to Forest Project will mitigate climate change while restoring threatened forest ecosystems and increasing the sustainability of local communities and their resilience to climate change. The project will use reforestation and other restoration measures to restore 406 hectares of abandoned cattle pasture to native forests over a forty year period. All reforestation will take place on private lands previously dedicated to extensive cattle grazing.
• Objective 1
  biodiversity conservation
• Objective 2
  social development
• Objective 3
  climate
• Deforestation drivers
  industrial agriculture or cattle ranching, local livelihoods
• Type of forest
  dry|humid
• Project activity
  ARR
• Project Type
  ARR
• Details for Afforestation/Reforestation activity
  ecosystem restoration, plantation
• Multiple locations?
  No
• Jurisdiction level 1
  Department : Rivas and Grenada
• Jurisdiction level 2
  Municipality : Cárdenas, San Juan del Sur, and Nandaime

Carbon accounting

• Crediting period
  2008-2048
• Period to calculate annual carbon credits
• Annual carbon credits
• Total carbon credits
  170567
• Leakage is expected?
  ND
• Carbon pools included
  ND
• Gasses included
  ND
• Reference period start year
  ND
• Reference period end year
  ND
• Carbon standard 1
  CCB

Carbon certification

• Carbon standard 1 Progress
  ND
• Carbon standard 1 Publication date
  ND
• Carbon standard 1 Weblinks
  ND
• Carbon standard 1 Expiry date
  ND
• Carbon standard 2
  CCB
• Carbon standard 2 Progress
  expired
• Carbon standard 2 Publication date
  39549
• Carbon standard 2 Weblinks
  http://www.climate-standards.org/2007/12/12/return-to-forest-nicaragua/
• Carbon standard 2 Expiry date
  ND
• Carbon standard 3
  none
• Carbon standard 3 Progress
  ND
• Carbon standard 3 Publication date
  ND
• Carbon standard 3 Weblinks
  ND
• Carbon standard 3 Expiry date
  ND
• Source of information
  Accessed Sep 2022 https://s3.amazonaws.com/CCBA/Projects/Return_to_Forest_Nicaragua/Return_to_Forest_Paso_Pacifico_Nicaragua_031808.pdf; https://s3.amazonaws.com/CCBA/Projects/Return_to_Forest_Nicaragua/Paso_Pacifico_Rainforest_Alliance_CCBA_Validation_Audit_Report_08.pdf http://www.climate-standards.org/2007/12/12/return-to-forest-nicaragua/ ; Blog 2018 on Paso Pacifico: https://www.noozhawk.com/paso_pacifico_launches_million_tree_campaign_to_combat_climate_change/ Not accessible by Sep 2022: http://www.forestcarbonportal.com/project/return-forest-mitigating-climate-change-through-restoration-and-conservation-endangered-fore ;

Community level intervention

• Any monetary benefits?
  Check
• Monetary benefit type
  Conditional
• Monetary benefit detail
  payments for eco-system services (particularly through Nicaraguan Water Law): under discussion! Paso Pacifico subsidized the cost of the reforestation, but landowners contributed their land, time, workers, and funding for planting.
• Provides employment?
  Yes
• Are there non-cash benefits?
  Yes
• Economic activities - type
  agriculture | ecotourism | microenterprise | tree planting
• Is there tenure clarification?
  Yes
• Is there environmental education?
  Yes
• Is there forest access restriction or control/monitoring of deforestation?
  Yes
• Is there forest enhancement?
  Yes
• Is there community infrastracture improvement?
  No
• Is there other community benefits?
  Yes