Cumare carbon project
#48of 66 in Soil carbon#17of 18 in Colombia#563of 629 in Verra (VCS)#23of 26 in AR-ACM0003
Audit Analysis
The Cumare project is a small (≈19 ha) soil-carbon ALM project in Colombia with a verified barrier-test additionality assessment and a 10% buffer pool, but it raises serious over-crediting concerns: the implied carbon density of roughly 465 tCO2e/ha/yr is 10–25× typical soil-sequestration rates, and the monitoring report's claimed ERR exceeds the PDD's ex-ante estimate by 73%. Eight cross-document contradictions and a low extraction-confidence rating further erode confidence in the data.
Red Flags
- Implied carbon density of ~465 tCO2e/ha/yr (872,377 tCO2e over 100 years on 18.78 ha) is 10–25× the upper bound of published soil-carbon sequestration rates, strongly suggesting over-crediting
- Monitoring report (2024) claims 872,377 tCO2e while the PDD (2022) ex-ante estimate is 503,404 tCO2e — a 73% excess that is not explained by a pro-rata adjustment
- Leakage deduction is 0% yet the justification is labelled 'quantified' in the 2025 verification report, creating an internal inconsistency
- 16 corrective-action requests, 13 additional-documentation requests, and 7 clarification requests were raised during verification, indicating significant data-quality issues
- Minimum extraction confidence is rated 'low', meaning at least one key document was poorly readable and the structured record may be incomplete
Credit Vintages
| Issued | Retired | Available | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 27,364 | 0 | 27,364 | |
| 2018 | 94,969 | 20,039 | 74,930 | |
| 2019 | 185,865 | 137,863 | 48,002 | |
| 2020 | 154,865 | 119,865 | 35,000 | |
| 2021 | 691 | 678 | 13 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total | 463,764 | 278,445 | 185,319 |
Risk Indicators
VVB-confirmed barrier test
10% buffer pool, no reversals
0% deduction, 'quantified' label inconsistent
Project-specific, no reassessment date
FPIC, grievance, benefit sharing documented
CORSIA & CCP status not stated
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