Silk Grass Biochar Project

Audit Analysis

The Silk Grass Biochar Project in Belize presents significant quality concerns: 28 material findings and 28 corrective actions were raised during validation, the leakage deduction of 0% rests on a justification the VVB found inadequate, no buffer pool is in place to address biochar permanence risk, and a 72% reduction in the claimed lifetime ERR between two PDD versions raises questions about the robustness of the original quantification. The project lacks a monitoring report, verified ERR figures, and several key MRV parameters, leaving the credit claim largely untested against real-world performance.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠28 material findings and 28 corrective actions identified in the validation report, including unresolved gaps in baseline documentation, biochar processing emissions, and monitoring procedures
• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% justified as 'deemed negligible,' yet the VVB explicitly noted that transportation leakage was assumed zero without adequate justification or monitoring
• ⚠No buffer pool or non-permanence risk analysis in place for a biochar project where carbon sequestration permanence is inherently uncertain
• ⚠Double-counting risk with a REDD+ project boundary was flagged as a material finding and not adequately addressed in the PDD or validation report
• ⚠72% reduction in lifetime ERR between the July 2024 PDD (45,500 tCO2e) and the March 2026 PDD (12,886 tCO2e), indicating the original claim was substantially overstated
• ⚠Permanence claim not stated in available documents

Credit Vintages

No issuances recorded on the registry.