Circle Place's project in Musang Valley demonstrates the power of innovative partnerships to tackle deforestation and create sustainable economic opportunities. Facing the challenges of degraded land and complex carbon accounting, they turned to CarbonSpace. Our remote, data-driven approach provided a cost-effective solution, paving the way for significant carbon sequestration and community benefits.

The East Coast region of Malaysia has suffered extensive environmental degradation due to illegal deforestation, leading to significant loss of biodiversity, depletion of water resources, and adverse impacts on the livelihoods of local communities, including the indigenous Orang Asli population. The project owner, Circle Place, sought to restore these degraded lands while creating sustainable economic opportunities through a combination of forest gardening and reforestation. Traditional carbon project development methods posed significant barriers due to high costs and lengthy timelines, making participation in carbon financial mechanisms seem unattainable.

The Solution

Circle Place partnered with CarbonSpace to overcome these challenges. CarbonSpace provided a fully remote, scalable ecosystem baseline assessment covering the five years before the project's start. This assessment established a credible business-as-usual scenario, which is crucial for demonstrating additionality and attracting investment. CarbonSpace's approach, which is compliant with certification requirements and offered at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, enabled the project owner to move forward with their restoration and carbon sequestration goals.

The Impact

CarbonSpace's data will be used to monitor the project's impact on carbon sequestration over time, providing transparent reporting to stakeholders and potential investors. The project, combining the cultivation of durian (Durio zibethinus) with the restoration of degraded land using Batai (Falcataria moluccana), demonstrates an innovative approach to sustainable land management. The project's success will enhance carbon sequestration and provide sustainable economic opportunities for local communities. The project meets International Carbon Registry (ICR) additionality criteria up to Level 4b, making it a strong candidate for carbon credit certification.

KPIs

• Pre-Project Land Condition: Abandoned lands with slow or stagnant ecosystem carbon strength.
• Pre-Project NEE Values: Emissions to low sequestration levels.
• Post-Project Sequestration Rates: 16 to 29 tCO₂/ha/year.
• Project Size: 500 hectares of durian cultivation and 2,600 hectares of degraded land restoration.
• Baseline Assessment Cost: Significantly lower than traditional methods (estimated €100,000–€120,000 savings).
• Baseline Assessment Timeline: Significantly shorter than traditional methods (estimated two-year reduction).

This project, empowered by CarbonSpace's efficient and cost-effective baseline assessment, demonstrates the potential for integrating sustainable land restoration with economic development. By providing accurate and scalable carbon data, CarbonSpace enables projects like Malaysia Albasia's to attract investment, generate carbon credits, and create a lasting positive impact on both the environment and local communities. This success story paves the way for wider adoption of innovative, data-driven restoration initiatives across the region.

Additional Notes

• The project's integration of economic development with environmental restoration serves as a model for similar initiatives in regions facing land degradation challenges.
• . The project's future scaöability and growth in environmental and social benefits depend on carbon finance, making it truly additional.