• Up to 13,600 hectares of degraded land restored, creating a forest comparable in size to Paris
• Initial phase targets 2.4 million tonnes of carbon removal, scaling beyond 6 million tonnes over project life
• Institutional capital backs high-integrity carbon credits aligned with global voluntary market standards

Capital Targets Large-Scale Land Restoration

In Colombia’s eastern plains, Aviva Investors has committed capital to a major afforestation project in the Vichada region. The initiative, Llanos Vivos, sits within the Orinoquía, one of the most biodiverse regions globally.

The project will restore up to 13,600 hectares of degraded grassland. At full scale, it will create a forest roughly the size of Paris. Developers expect the first phase to remove 2.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Over its lifetime, the project could exceed six million tonnes.

Climate Impact Partners and & Forest are leading development and implementation. Aviva Investors provides funding through its Carbon Removal Fund.

Carbon Removal Moves Into Core Investment Strategy

Aviva Investors is using its Carbon Removal Fund to finance the project. The fund targets both financial returns and climate outcomes. It focuses on restoring degraded landscapes while generating high-integrity carbon removal credits.

Greta Talbot-Jones, Director, Natural Capital, and co-Portfolio Manager of the Carbon Removal Fund at Aviva Investors, said: “We are very pleased to be working with leading specialist land managers and development partners on this project. Investors are increasingly viewing carbon removal strategies as a way to diversify their portfolio and hedge against transition risks, rather than solely impact investments. This is a great example of investment activity that can generate long-term outcomes for investors and help them align with long-term climate ambitions, whilst also delivering a range of socioeconomic and nature-based benefits.”

Aviva Investors will receive rights to a share of future carbon credits. This structure links financial returns directly to environmental performance. It also reflects a wider shift. Investors now treat carbon removal as a viable asset class.

Sheri Hickok, CEO at Climate Impact Partners, said: “Institutional investment is critical to scaling high-quality carbon removals and accelerating the transition towards an infrastructure-like carbon market. Through this partnership with Aviva Investors, we’re showing how long-term capital can directly support the development of high-integrity, nature-based carbon projects – providing the certainty projects need and the durability investors demand. By structuring projects to deliver measurable, long-term impact, we’re helping unlock carbon removal as a credible, investable asset class.”

RELATED ARTICLE: Aviva Investors Launches Carbon Removal Fund to Provide Institutional Investors Access to Carbon Removal Solutions

Biodiversity and Community Gains Take Priority

The project will plant a majority of native species. This approach strengthens biodiversity and improves ecosystem resilience. It also supports natural regeneration across the wider landscape.

Developers plan to create ecological corridors. These corridors will reconnect fragmented habitats and improve long-term ecosystem health. Once established, the forest is expected to receive conservation status. This step will help secure permanence for both the forest and its carbon outcomes.

The project also creates economic value for local communities. More than 110 jobs are expected during peak planting periods. Roles will include planting, nursery work, machinery operation, and long-term forest management.

Developers will also allocate land for community-run farms. These farms will support food production, skills development, and local livelihoods.

Johan Larsson, Managing Partner at &Forest, said: “This project restores forests with significant ecological and biodiversity values while also delivering socioeconomic benefits to local communities. We are very excited to partner with a leading investor and carbon market project expert to achieve this. The financing of carbon removal enables us to implement this kind of high-impact forestry project in remote areas where traditional forestry projects are not viable, thus bringing benefits and opportunities to communities in these regions.”

Integrity Standards Shape Market Confidence

The project will register under Verra’s afforestation and reforestation methodology, VM0047. This standard aligns with the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s Core Carbon Principles.

Stronger standards matter. Buyers and investors now demand higher-quality credits. They want durability, transparency, and clear verification. Projects that meet these expectations are more likely to attract long-term capital.

What Investors Should Watch

Llanos Vivos reflects a broader shift in climate finance. Investors are moving beyond offsets toward direct carbon removal investments. They are also linking returns to measurable environmental outcomes.

The project shows how capital can unlock restoration in remote regions. Traditional forestry models often fail in these areas. Carbon finance changes the equation.

For executives and investors, the signal is clear. High-integrity carbon removal is moving into mainstream portfolios. Projects that combine scale, verification, and community impact will define the next phase of the market.

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