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- Significant Expansion: GenZero and Trafigura announce a $100M USD investment to double the size of the Brújula Verde project in Colombia’s Orinoco River Basin, enhancing its carbon removal capacity.
- Community and Environmental Benefits: The project, which includes afforestation and reforestation efforts, supports local employment with over 700 jobs and aims to issue its first carbon credits by 2025.
- Advanced Monitoring and Standards: The project leverages innovative technology and aligns with top environmental standards through partners like Nature Metrics, Opus Insights, and South Pole.
Trafigura Group Pte Ltd, a global leader in commodities, and GenZero, a decarbonization-focused investment platform owned by Temasek, have committed over $100 million USD to expand the Brújula Verde landscape restoration project in Colombia. This investment aims to double the project’s scale and production of high-integrity carbon removal credits through strategic afforestation and reforestation, benefiting one of Colombia’s most biodiverse regions.
Restoration and Community Impact The Brújula Verde project, managed by Inverbosques, involves planting over 24 million mixed-species trees across the Orinoco River Basin. The effort focuses on reconditioning degraded land from agricultural practices and fires without commercial harvests, ensuring the preservation of natural resources. This expansion supports significant community development, generating over 700 direct and indirect jobs and investing in local infrastructure.
Matthew Nelson, Head of Carbon Investments at Trafigura, emphasized the project’s broader value:
“We are delighted to welcome GenZero to this collaboration. This expansion demonstrates how investment grade carbon removal assets can enable institutional finance at scale. GenZero’s partnership will enhance the scope and impact of Brújula Verde, bringing local employment alongside environmental and biodiversity benefits to the region, whilst producing high integrity nature-based carbon removal credits.”
Technological and Environmental Expertise The project employs cutting-edge tools and standards to ensure effective carbon and biodiversity monitoring. Key partners include:
- Nature Metrics: Utilizes environmental DNA (eDNA) for biodiversity monitoring.
- Opus Insights: Provides digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (DMRV) for carbon performance.
- Ingeobosques: Ensures compliance with FSC and IFC standards.
- South Pole: Specializes in Carbon Asset Development.
Future Outlook With successful planting of 10,000 hectares in 2023-2024 and plans for an additional 10,000 hectares, Brújula Verde is set to have its first carbon removal credit issuance by late 2025. The project also includes direct revenue-sharing models to fund local social programs, supporting long-term community development.
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Hoon Ling Min, Director of Investments at GenZero, highlighted the unique approach:
“The Brújula Verde project marks an important effort in restoring one of Colombia’s most biologically diverse areas. It is a unique project which adopts a restoration bridge concept by reconditioning soil health through reforestation, which enables the reintegration of native species gradually. This in turn supports the delivery of high-quality carbon removal credits, essential in broader efforts to build high-integrity carbon markets.”
This significant commitment underscores the importance of responsible investment in nature-based solutions to combat climate change and foster sustainable economic growth.
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