Forestry coverage.
Overview
India's forestry carbon projects are concentrated in the central and northeastern states, where tribal forest rights and biodiversity value are highest. V4 rates forestry credits across the full vintage history of each project, using ISRO Bhuvan satellite data to independently verify canopy cover claims and FSI biennial inventory data to cross-check sequestration volumes. Our field teams conduct community interviews in Hindi and regional languages to verify tenure security, which is the single most important permanence factor in Indian forestry credits.
Sample ratings
Illustrative ratings drawn from the V4 database. Project codes are anonymised.
Quality in the forestry category
Forestry credits from India vary widely in quality. Projects in states with strong forest governance and clear community tenure tend to score higher. Projects in disputed forest areas or with unclear baseline methodologies often score in the BB to CCC range.
States covered
Common issues in forestry credits
- -Community tenure insecurity not disclosed in project documents
- -Buffer zone deforestation detected via Hansen analysis
- -Baseline year selection that inflates additionality
- -Monitoring reports relying on contractor-collected data without independent verification