Sea of Change

“The Cool Effect team visited this project in October 2018. While en route, our expectations were modest because the project site was very remote and Myanmar has been struggling with poverty and governance issues. We were pleasantly surprised to see the project’s achievements including local community involvement in execution and support of strong institutions such as Worldview International Foundation, and Pathein University. We take pride in adopting this project as it continues to grow manifold in other similar coastal ecosystems of Myanmar, all of which are under very high threat. Carbon funds bring prosperity to the local communities while the mangroves remove CO2 from the atmosphere…it’s a win-win situation.”

—Sid Yadav, Director of Project Research

Project Type: Nature-based Removal

Project ID: 1764

Carbon Standard: Verra

Vintage: 2022

Additionality: Carbon finance provides seedlings and labor for project expansion

Permanence: 30 year contracts are in place to ensure the project continues

Site Visit: October 2018

This project reduces ~ 184,006 tonnes of emissions per year. This project works to restore those forests with 6 million mangrove trees planted. In Myanmar, only 16% of the original mangrove forest remains along the coastline. Mangroves can capture 5 times more carbon than terrestrial trees and sequester carbon up to 400% faster than land-based tropical rainforests. They are nurseries for juvenile marine species, prevent saltwater intrusion in crops, and safeguard shorelines during tropical storms.

Human activity, including clearing mangrove for firewood, farming rice, palm oil, and shrimp, lead to mangrove destruction. The vulnerable communities of Myanmar struggle with poverty and do what they can to survive. However, these activities decimate the very ecosystem and resources that protect and nourish these communities.

The project also works with the local population to adapt to more sustainable lifestyles. Project experts demonstrated to local communities that the income generated in harmony with a healthy coastal ecosystem can meet or exceed the income generated by destructive practices. When mangroves thrive, fish populations recover, shrimp and crab return in mass, and plants grow naturally in the forests. All can be sustainably harvested for food or to sell.

• Protects lives and homes in vulnerable coastal areas from tsunamis, cyclones, and other extreme weather.
• Improves livelihoods in poverty-stricken communities with new business opportunities, including training in identifying, raising, and planting mangroves.
• Provides opportunities for women as workers and in leadership positions.
• Reduces risk of seashore erosion and loss of agricultural land due to increasing sea level rise.
• Maintains biodiversity and produces life-bearing ecosystem services.

• Overcoming suspicion of project goals in impoverished communities can be difficult.
• Government policies and practices may change at any time as shown by the February 2021 military coop, which is beyond the project’s control (The project has been able to continue despite this hardship).
• Planting and project expansion in 2020 was impacted by COVID-19.