Dammam DR Sustainable Wetlands and Mangrove Conservation (DD-SWAM)

Audit Analysis

A pre-crediting mangrove conservation project in Saudi Arabia validated under ICR using CDM methodology AR-AM0014, with a 30-year crediting period starting in 2028. Additionality is VVB-confirmed and a 10% buffer pool is in place, but the absence of FPIC, a 0% leakage deduction, and 32 validation findings (including an initial methodology error) introduce moderate integrity and claim-safety concerns. No verification or monitoring data exists yet, which is expected given the project has not entered its crediting period.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠FPIC was not conducted (per the final validation report dated 2024-05-09), a significant gap for a community-adjacent conservation project in Saudi Arabia
• ⚠0% leakage deduction applied to a mangrove conservation project; the justification shifted between 'quantified' and 'deemed negligible' across two versions of the same validation report
• ⚠32 validation findings raised (8 CARs, 24 CLs), including the initial use of a non-approved Verra methodology (VM0033) before correction to CDM AR-AM0014
• ⚠No verification report or monitoring data available; the project has not yet entered its crediting period (starts April 2028)
• ⚠Contradictions within the validation report on FPIC status, benefit-sharing description, and leakage justification indicate document-versioning issues

Credit Vintages