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Guatemala
BACKGROUND
One of the greatest environmental challenges faced by tropical countries is the design of development models that can reduce rural poverty while preserving natural resources. In Guatemala, the LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry) sector represents 7 % of the country’s total annual emissions. Moreover, between 1950 and 2010, 53.4% of the total forest area in the country was lost. zeroCARBON interventions will serve to discourage deforestation by providing communities with a sustainable livelihood that, simultaneously, will enable the regeneration of the ecosystems in which the projects are implemented. The project is based in the Petén region of Guatemala.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
The main project intervention is improved land management through forest plantations and agroforestry. The objective of zeroCARBON program is to restore, through tree planting, Assisted Natural Regeneration and sustainable forest management, the ecological function of degraded land, enabling the restoration of the ecosystem, and landscape and providing a sustainable livelihood for local communities. This will be achieved by shifting land use from extensive livestock farming, cropland, and unproductive fallow to the creation of forestry and agroforestry systems. The project interventions will be implemented following an approach that will not affect the local dynamics of income and subsistence production or the surrounding ecosystems.
MONITORING, REPORTING, AND VERIFICATION (MRV)
The technical team will conduct monitoring activities twice a year (indicatively in March and August), following all the requirements imposed by the selected methodology. The monitoring plan will include the following project status indicators: progress, carbon, livelihood, and ecosystem. All monitoring evidence will be included in the respective annual report, which will be provided by Q2 of the following year.
ADDITIONALITY
In the project area, structural barriers prevent communities from engaging in reforestation or sustainable land management without external support. Chronic poverty and lack of liquidity prevent upfront investment, while limited technical knowledge in forestry and the persistence of slash-and-burn subsistence farming drive ongoing soil degradation. Weak institutional support further compounds these barriers, meaning degraded lands would remain under low-productivity use. By channeling carbon finance through the Plan Vivo benefit-sharing system, coupled with technical assistance, training, and complementary income opportunities such as ANR and sustainable timber, the project enables a transformative shift toward forestry as the preferred land use—delivering carbon removals and co-benefits that would not occur in the absence of the intervention.
PERMANENCE
The zeroCARBON permanence strategy secures long-term climate integrity by combining multiple, complementary instruments that reinforce one another. Carbon credit revenues — distributed under the Plan Vivo–compliant benefit-sharing system that allocates 60% of revenues directly to local communities — provide direct and sustained incentives for local communities to maintain and manage their plots. These financial flows are complemented by access to national forestry programs, opportunities from sustainable timber markets, and income diversification through Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), which enhances both ecological and economic resilience. Continuous technical assistance, training, and participatory governance ensure that landowners have the knowledge, capacity, and legal safeguards to protect project areas, prevent risks such as fires or land abandonment, and embed forestry as the preferred land use. Together, these mechanisms create a self-reinforcing system that aligns community development with long-term forest permanence, ensuring the durability of CO₂ removals beyond the crediting horizon.
CO-BENEFITS
The project is designed to deliver a range of co-benefits across climate, biodiversity, and social spheres. The project's climate co-benefits focus on reducing and preventing soil erosion and floods, as well as improving soil fertility through carbon uptake. It also aims to improve the balance of water supplies. In terms of biodiversity, the project seeks to identify and monitor specific species within the intervention area. By the end of the fifth year, the goal is to observe an average of 3 mammal species, 5 bird species, and 20 soil macrofauna species across all monitored plots. On a social level, the project will lead to improved sustainable food and agricultural production. Participants will receive specialized training, leading to community capacity building for sustainable land management. The project is also expected to foster income and economic growth by creating new sources of income for households, in addition to the carbon benefits they receive. This will also result in a more diversified and resilient production system that can better withstand the effects of climate change.
SCALE AND OUTLOOK
zeroCARBON currently involves a group of 56 local farming communities spread across 9 municipalities in the Petèn region. Due to its high social purpose, the project is certified under Plan Vivo (v5, ICROA approved, currently applying for CCPs). SDGs benefits are certified under the Plan Vivo standard. The current project area is 1000 hectares, with an annual expansion target to reach 5000 hectares by 2032. Net carbon emission for each year of activity is 30,000 tCO2, for a total of 800-850k tCO2 during the project lifetime.
ADDITIONAL SELLING POINTS
Sylvera estimated rating: A-BB. zeroCARBON is designed to align with 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To ensure accurate project performance, zeroCARBON will utilize an internal digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) satellite technology, developed in collaboration with the University of Florence. This technology will monitor projects and estimate their performance. Additionally, buyers will have an exclusive engagement experience through a dedicated web app and a personalized media kit, which includes stories, insights, and ideas to help them communicate their commitment more effectively.