CO2ROZO, the first large-scale private conservation project in the Colombian Caribbean

Pledge by

Promigas S.A. E.S.P.

Conservation of 105,000 ha of natural forests and wetlands in the Caribbean region of Colombia

Type
Conserving, Restoring & Growing, Enabling
This pledge will take place from
2025 to beyond 2030
Location
Colombia

Company website

Pledge overview

CO2ROZO is a large-scale climate change mitigation initiative dedicated to conserving the Tropical Dry Forests and wetlands of the Colombian Caribbean region. These ecosystems, among the most endangered in Colombia, have faced extensive degradation over the past decades due to factors such as land conversion, cattle ranching, and urban development. As a result, only a fraction of the original forest cover remains, underscoring the urgency of preserving and restoring what is left.

By safeguarding 105,000 hectares of private land, CO2ROZO focuses on halting further deforestation, protecting threatened wildlife species, and maintaining essential ecosystem functions. Among the notable beneficiaries are cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and blue-billed curassows (Crax alberti), both listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The project is expected to avert the release of approximately 3.5 million tons of CO2 equivalent over the next 20 years, thereby aligning with Colombia’s national climate goals and the global push to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Beyond emissions reductions, one of CO2ROZO’s key objectives is to enhance the relationship between cattle ranchers and the environment, recognizing that sustainable livestock practices can serve as a crucial bridge between economic viability and ecological integrity. By introducing and supporting best management strategies, such as silvopastoral systems, rotational grazing, and the restoration of riparian corridors, the project promotes a healthier balance between productive land use and habitat conservation. This not only helps to protect critical buffer zones around wetlands and forest fragments but also enriches soil fertility, conserves water resources, and provides habitats for pollinators and other beneficial wildlife.

CO2ROZO further seeks to strengthen local economies and social well-being by engaging landowners, communities, and other stakeholders in conservation planning and responsible resource management. Through capacity-building efforts—such as technical training, financial incentives, and the development of ecotourism and agroforestry ventures—ranchers can diversify their income while maintaining or improving the productivity of their lands. Enhanced stewardship of Tropical Dry Forests and wetlands can improve water availability, protect against soil erosion, and contribute to climate resilience, thereby supporting both current and future generations.

As the first large-scale private conservation project in the Colombian Caribbean, CO2ROZO underscores a broader commitment to nature-based solutions and responsible land-use practices. By preventing deforestation, preserving vital habitats, and fostering sustainable relationships between ranchers and their environment, the initiative demonstrates a path toward a nature-positive and climate-resilient economy. CO2ROZO aligns with global efforts to conserve, restore, and grow one trillion trees by 2030, underscoring the project’s dedication to lasting environmental health and community prosperity in this unique and irreplaceable region.

Actions in this pledge

  • Conserving trees and forest landscapes

    Supporting actions
    Permanent conservation
    Secure a forest through acquisition or legal agreement to avoid planned or unplanned deforestation or degradation, and/or ensure permanent conservation of land
    Conservation support activities
    Support the operating costs and activities of existing conservation areas, including advocacy for conservation policy
    Other conservation activities
    Sustainable management
    Additional details

    We will begin by selecting private landowners who meet high conservation criteria, signing conservation contracts that formalize mutual commitments and benefits. Concurrently, a comprehensive Project Description Document (PDD) will be prepared, detailing objectives, geographic boundaries, baseline conditions, and monitoring strategies. The project will then undergo independent third-party validation, ensuring compliance with Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard, followed by registration in the Verra Registry. As conservation measures are implemented—preventing further deforestation, restoring degraded areas, and safeguarding wetlands—periodic field assessments will measure avoided CO2 emissions, evaluate forest cover, tree density, and other key indicators. Third-party audits will take place at defined intervals, verifying data and confirming emissions reductions, culminating in the issuance of carbon credits or equivalent certificates. Finally, the verified results will be publicly disclosed to attract additional investment, encourage further landowner participation, and enhance economic opportunities linked to sustainable land management.

    Conserving

    Land area
    105,000 ha
  • Restoring and growing trees and forest landscapes

    Supporting actions
    Assisted natural regeneration
    Actions that support natural regeneration without tree planting, such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, forest soil remediation, exotic species control, disease prevention, and wildfire protection
    Agroforestry
    Activities that establish and manage the integration of trees into agricultural landscapes, silvopastoral systems, farming in forests and along forest margins and tree-crop production
    Watershed protection and erosion control
    Establishment and enhancement of forests on very steep sloping land, along water courses, in areas that naturally flood and around critical water bodies
    Additional details

    The project will have a duration of 20 years, and results will be verified every two years according to the carbon credit certification processes and internal milestones regading scale and benefit to the communities.

    Restoring & Growing

  • Enabling activities for trees and forest landscapes

    Supporting actions
    Sustainable forest management
    Activities that support the stewardship and use of forests (including by local communities and indigenous peoples), to maintain their biological diversity, productivity, and regeneration capacity, as well as their potential to fulfil relevant ecological economic and social functions
    Market development for sustainable forest products
    Activities that create markets and demand for ecologically and socially responsible timber and non-timber forest and agroforestry products, e.g. capacity-building for the harvesting and processing of agroforestry products, forest certification standards, etc.
    Community mobilisation
    Community mobilisation and engagement activities for conservation, restoration and reforestation, including enabling systems of community governance, etc.

    Enabling

Carbon benefits

3,228,059 tons 20 years

Our ecologically and socially responsible approach

We confirm that we will comply with the relevant social safeguards, aligning our activities with Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 15 (Life on Land). In addition, we will adhere to Verra’s Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS), ensuring independent verification that our initiatives deliver robust carbon mitigation benefits while effectively safeguarding biodiversity and promoting social well-being.

We confirm that, as partners, our organizations comply with several recognized standards, including ISO 14001 (Environmental Management), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety), ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and NTC 5801 (Innovation). This integrated approach ensures that our processes meet stringent requirements for environmental responsibility, workplace safety, quality control and continuous innovation, ultimately contributing to sound and sustainable application practices.

Our results tracking

To track and estimate the ecological and social impacts of our pledged activities, we will employ several methodologies. For initial average income determination before the sale of Carbon Credit Sales (CCVs), we will assess incomes using data from a baseline characterization survey, evaluating income from productive activities on the properties. Post-CCV income analysis will calculate the average income generated after CCV sales by adding pre-sale incomes to those generated post-sale, with data derived from economic benefit delivery receipts.

The Training Plan focuses on community capacity enhancement around fire management, sustainable production systems, and landscape management tools, allocating 10% for activity planning and 90% for training execution, conducted both in-person and remotely. Monitoring involves attendance lists, photographic records, and comprehensive training reports, including preparation and delivery of training materials.

Our governance model progresses through two phases: design, contributing 25% to the indicator, and implementation, constituting 75% spread across 12 annual governance reports. Properties are identified for their importance to biodiversity through document review and analysis, with findings reported annually.
Sustainable soil management practices in natural savannas are monitored using evidence from audiovisual records, field logs, or surveys, while a fire early warning system continuously scans for heat points, confirming wildfire presence through direct communication with property managers.

Dendroenergy banks and eco-efficient stove installations are documented in detail, including area, date, and location, supported by audiovisual records and follow-up surveys. Similarly, the implementation of landscape management tools is analyzed through audiovisual and survey evidence, ensuring practices align with conservation goals.

Finally, biodiversity High Conservation Values are characterized using GIS analysis with primary and secondary information, and restoration activities are monitored via surveys and photographic evidence, ensuring comprehensive oversight of project impacts.

Ecological metrics

We will track the identification of important areas for terrestrial biological diversity, the percentage of properties with declared conservation areas or designations, the percentage of properties implementing sustainable fire-management practices, the accuracy of alerts, the percentage of properties with established dendroenergy banks, the percentage of eco-efficient stoves installed, the percentage of properties that implement Landscape Management Tools in natural savannas, the percentage of properties applying sustainable production, soil management, and conservation practices, the identification of High Conservation Values, participatory wildlife monitoring to identify threatened species in the project area, and the number of reports detailing restoration activities carried out by property managers.

Social metrics

We will measure the percentage increase in average income derived from verified carbon credit sales, the percentage of landowners who have improved their income due to these credit sales, progress on the Training Plan aimed at strengthening community capacities in ecosystem services and conservation of strategic ecosystems, the general biodiversity training plan, the existence of formalized alliances or agreements, governance model progress, and the trainings developed to enhance access to and management of financial goods and services.

Our system of accreditation

We will formulate this project under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) managed by Verra, employing the relevant methodologies to quantify avoided emissions from land-use change. An independent third-party Validation and Verification Body (VVB), selected from the options authorized by the VCS program, will validate the project’s design and verify its performance throughout its lifecycle. Upon successful completion of these steps, the project will be publicly registered on the Verra Registry, ensuring transparency and credibility for all environmental outcomes achieved.

Our partners

1. Promigas as an investor
2. Cataruben Foundation as a technical partner
3. Private landowners as ecosystem stewards

The Corozo project is a joint effort between Promigas (acting as investor) and the Cataruben Foundation (technical partner), to implement a comprehensive conservation strategy that encompasses biodiversity protection, sustainable carbon management, and water resource preservation. A key element of this strategy is the participation of private landowners, who will act as ecosystem stewards and strategic partners implementing conservation and restoration activities on their land, generating economic benefits through sustainable and profitable activities, thus boosting regional economic development.

Our locations

We are working at locations across Colombia.

We will focus our activities in Colombia’s Caribbean region, an area encompassing multiple departments such as Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, La Guajira, Magdalena, and Sucre, among others. This region hosts critical ecosystems—including Tropical Dry Forests and wetlands—that face heightened pressure from deforestation and land conversion. The project will identify and select private properties demonstrating high conservation value and the potential for effective restoration and sustainable management.