Forest Conservation in Boumba-et-Ngoko

Audit Analysis

The Boumba-et-Ngoko forest conservation project (VCS-2897) demonstrates solid structural safeguards including a 24% buffer pool, 20% leakage deduction, and VVB-verified additionality, but is undermined by a project-specific baseline, a 73% pro-rata credit delivery shortfall in the 2022–2023 monitoring period, and multiple cross-document contradictions on key parameters such as FPIC status, buffer pool percentage, and leakage characterization.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified ERR of 362,811 tCO2e for 2022–2023 represents only ~73% of the pro-rata expectation (~498,481 tCO2e) derived from the PDD lifetime estimate of 4,984,814 tCO2e over 20 years, indicating a notable under-delivery
• ⚠Contradiction on FPIC: the verification report (Dec 2024) confirms FPIC was conducted, while the monitoring report (Nov 2024) states it was not — a material inconsistency in safeguards documentation
• ⚠Buffer pool percentage differs between the validation report (10%) and the verification report (24%), suggesting the VVB increased the requirement post-validation, which raises questions about the initial conservatism of the project design
• ⚠Leakage is characterized as 'deemed negligible' in the verification report yet quantified at 119,346 tCO2e (20% factor) in the monitoring report — the two characterizations are inconsistent

Credit Vintages