Brújula Verde Project, Colombia

The Brújula Verde project, located in Colombia’s Orinoco River Basin, one of the country’s most biodiverse areas, involving the planting of over 24 million mixed-species trees for the production of high integrity carbon removal credits. The project is financed in a collaboration between Trafigura and GenZero and implemented by the project’s operational partner, Inverbosques – which is one of the largest private employers in the region. This project involves afforestation and reforestation on degraded lands without any planned commercial harvest activities, preserving the area's natural resources, while unlocking significant community benefits.

Over 2023 and 2024, the project successfully planted 10,000 hectares, with an additional 10,000 hectares to be planted. Substantial investments into developing and expanding nursery capacities and logistics have also contributed to significant infrastructural development within the Orinoco River Basin. This in turn has supported local employment, providing over 700 direct and indirect jobs to the community.

The project also harnesses the expertise of leading specialist service providers in the digital monitoring and EDNA space to ensure the use of best-in class science to manage carbon performance and monitor biodiversity uplift. This approach underpins the restoration bridge whereby careful analysis selects lands historically degraded by natural and human induced activities such as cattle grazing and fires, and which has soil qualities suitable for supporting biomass development.

The project’s first issuance of carbon credits is anticipated in 2025, and the project design includes direct revenue sharing with local communities to support social programs.