Papariko - Restoration of Degraded Mangrove Areas in Kenya

Audit Analysis

The Papariko mangrove restoration project in Kenya has a VVB-verified additionality test and a 12% buffer pool, but the validation report surfaces over 40 material findings spanning ownership uncertainty, incomplete baseline assessment, unaddressed reversal risk, and non-eligible areas within the project boundary. No verified emissions-removal data exists for the monitoring period, and a ten-fold discrepancy in the lifetime ERR figure between the PDD and the validation report undermines confidence in the credit quantity. The project's integrity and claim-safety profiles are materially weakened by these gaps.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Ten-fold discrepancy in lifetime ERR: the PDD (July 2022) states 107,335.68 tCO₂e while the validation report (January 2025) states 1,012,955.2 tCO₂e; the basis for the revision is not explained in the extracted record.
• ⚠The KML file provided to the VVB includes non-eligible areas inside the project boundary, and the AFOLU project category was incorrectly stated, raising questions about whether the credit quantity reflects only eligible land.
• ⚠Ownership, legal status, and property rights are flagged as uncertain, with ongoing disputes over land and resource rights; the validation report requires the project to demonstrate conformity with VCS ownership criteria.
• ⚠Reversal events are recorded as 'not addressed' in the most recent validation report (February 2025), despite a 12% buffer pool being in place.
• ⚠The project type was incorrectly classified as 'energy efficiency' in the validation report rather than AFOLU, and the KML boundary includes non-eligible areas, suggesting the project scope may be misdefined.

Credit Vintages

No issuances recorded on the registry.