Westphalen Forest Carbon Project
#101of 261 in Soil carbon#3of 7 in Germany#757of 1339 in Verra (VCS)#3of 6 in VM0012
Audit Analysis
The Westphalen Forest Carbon Project is a VCS ALM soil-carbon project in Germany with a VVB-verified investment additionality test, a 19% buffer pool, and a 20% quantified leakage deduction, but its integrity is undermined by non-forested areas within the project boundary, a methodology deviation in leakage calculation, and four corrective action requests raised during the 2022–2024 monitoring period. Eight contradictions across documents and low extraction confidence further erode confidence in the data record.
Red Flags
- Non-forested areas identified within the project boundary (material finding in the 2025 verification report), raising eligibility and over-crediting concerns
- Methodology deviation applied for market leakage calculation using the MARketz Tool, deviating from the standard VM0012 approach
- Four corrective action requests (CAR01–CAR04) and one clarification request (CL01) raised during the 2022–2024 monitoring period, indicating unresolved data-quality issues
- Missing elements in the GHG ERR spreadsheet flagged as a material finding
- Eight contradictions between the verification report, PDD, monitoring report, and appendix, including discrepancies in FPIC status, additionality test type, buffer pool percentage, and crediting period
Credit Vintages
| Issued | Retired | Available | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2,082 | 489 | 1,593 | |
| 2019 | 173 | 0 | 173 | |
| 2020 | 1,789 | 0 | 1,789 | |
| 2021 | 6,850 | 1,221 | 5,629 | |
| 2022 | 4,818 | 0 | 4,818 | |
| 2023 | 4,625 | 0 | 4,625 | |
| 2024 | 4,785 | 0 | 4,785 | |
| Total | 25,122 | 1,710 | 23,412 |
Risk Indicators
VVB-confirmed investment test
19% buffer, no reversals, NPRT applied
20% quantified deduction
Project-specific, reassessment timing not stated
FPIC and grievance present but contradicted across docs
CORSIA and CCP status not stated
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