When done with integrity, Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) can empower communities and other landholders to capitalise on their carbon rights to fund development and conserve local ecosystems. NCS projects reduce emissions and sequester carbon by protecting, restoring and sustainably managing forests and other natural ecosystems. These projects are often funded by selling carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market to buyers looking to counterbalance their remaining greenhouse-gas emissions in the transition to net zero.

The diversity of projects on the VCM can seem daunting to buyers looking to find high-integrity credits that not only mitigate climate change but also protect biodiversity and deliver social benefits to local communities. The underlying story is important, not just that emission reductions or removals occurred, but also how, where, what other co-benefits did the project bring about. That story is written during the development of the NCS project. 

The Natural Climate Solution Carbon Credits: The role of project developers and communities guide, developed by the NCS Alliance, walks the reader through the steps taken by project developers and communities once an initial project idea is identified, all the way to the issuance of credits. The guide explains how delivering emissions results through NCS projects is a long-term, complex, and technical process that requires collaboration between a project developer with scientific and operational expertise; investors with a long-term outlook and financial resources; and the communities that own the land or will be directly affected by the project activities.