Pendjari and W-Benin National Parks REDD+ Project
#72of 261 in Soil carbon#4of 7 in Benin#612of 1339 in Verra (VCS)#1of 9 in VM0009
Audit Analysis
The Pendjari and W-Benin REDD+ project has a verified additionality assessment and an 18% buffer pool, but faces a severe post-verification security crisis (over 100 personnel killed in the project area between mid-2024 and early 2025) that threatens permanence and the ability to conduct monitoring. Methodology deviations (exclusion of parameter theta, livestock grazing, and deadwood emissions) and a leakage deduction contradiction (0% in the verification report versus 10% in the validation report) raise data-reliability concerns. The project over-delivered relative to its pro-rata ex-ante expectation, which is a positive signal, but the overall integrity picture is weakened by the security situation and baseline uncertainties.
Red Flags
- Over 100 security personnel and rangers killed in the W-Arly-Pendjari complex between June 2024 and April 2025, with the Non-Permanence Risk Tool potentially failing to capture this level of armed-conflict risk
- Leakage deduction contradiction: the verification report states 0% (justified as 'quantified') while the validation report states 10%, both dated 2023-09-28
- Methodology deviations identified during verification: exclusion of parameter theta, livestock grazing emissions, and deadwood emissions from the carbon accounting
- Monitoring Report not uploaded to the Verra Registry at the time of public comments, limiting independent scrutiny
- Project Accounting Areas and Reference Areas were not delineated correctly per VM0009 at the time of verification
Credit Vintages
| Issued | Retired | Available | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 20,235 | 0 | 20,235 | |
| 2018 | 70,343 | 0 | 70,343 | |
| 2019 | 76,274 | 0 | 76,274 | |
| 2020 | 123,848 | 0 | 123,848 | |
| Total | 290,700 | 0 | 290,700 |
Risk Indicators
VVB-confirmed combined test
18% buffer, no reversals, but severe armed-conflict threat post-verification
0% deduction contradicted by 10% in validation report
Project-specific baseline; methodology deviations noted
FPIC conducted, grievance mechanism present, safeguards documented
CORSIA and CCP status not stated in available documents
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