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X-Hazil
Project Description
This project focuses on Improved Forest Management through strategic interventions in forest ecosystems. It aims to enhance sustainability by implementing regeneration practices that improve tree mass structure and maintain forest coverage. The project emphasizes maintaining the functional integrity of ecosystems while implementing silvicultural treatments and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) monitoring protocols to ensure proper forest management.
Key Information
Developer
THEEARTHLAB SA de CV
Project Type
Improved Forest Management
Impact Type
Removal
Permanence
10-100
Methodology
CAR Mexico Forest Protocol V3.0
Verifier
ANCE
Project Lifetime
2021 – 2121
Oxford Category
Oxford Type 4—Nature-based Removals
Due Diligence
CNaught maintains a very high quality standard for all projects in the portfolios we manage. To ensure that a project meets this standard, we perform due diligence that’s backed up by third-party ratings agencies’ independent due diligence.
Additionality:
This project has high additionality. The project area faces significant deforestation pressure from rapidly expanding agriculture and infrastructure development, particularly from the new Maya Train project, which has already led to forest loss in the region. Additionally, the area has a history of commercial timber harvesting that was temporarily paused in 2017 due to government restrictions. This project has helped prevent the intensive logging from resuming by providing an alternative economic model that prioritizes forest conservation while still delivering community benefits.
Over-Crediting:
This project has a low risk of over-crediting, meaning that it is likely to have accurately accounted for the amount of carbon being removed from the atmosphere. We found that the project took a conservative approach to credit issuance, as Renoster attests to in its rating. The project only receives credits for forest growth above the initial carbon stock and doesn’t claim credits for avoided deforestation, even though analysis suggests that approximately 6.5% of forest carbon would likely have been lost without the project. The project’s conservative carbon accounting is further supported by its comprehensive inventory system and detailed plot measurements.
Durability:
This project activity is highly durable as we are confident in its ability to provide permanent emissions removals. The project is legally secured through a 100-year commitment signed by the local community and backed by Mexico’s robust community forest ownership laws. Its location in a tropical rainforest ecosystem provides natural resilience to disturbances, with the area showing remarkable stability over the past 40 years despite regional challenges like hurricanes and fires. The project’s conservative approach to exclusion zones around infrastructure development, like the Maya Train line, further demonstrates its ability to maintain carbon stocks even in the face of external pressures.
Double-Counting:
The project credits have a very low risk of being double counted. There are no regulatory obligations being met by the project activity and the project’s registry, the Climate Action Reserve, has mechanisms in place to ensure that the project is not registered in any other programs. We also confirmed that the project does not overlap with any other forest carbon projects to ensure that its credits are not claimed by other projects.
The project is in an area with very high deforestation pressure, as the majority of the surrounding area has experienced heavy forest loss in the past 15 years. The minimal forest loss in the project area shows that the project has been successful at preventing deforestation.
Beyond Carbon
Community and biodiversity co-benefits
This project delivers substantial community, economic, and environmental benefits through its Indigenous-led forest restoration work, which protects over 26,000 hectares of forest in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Community: The project ensures Indigenous ownership and management through the ejido system, granting 392 landowners secure tenure rights over their ancestral lands. The community also receives extensive training in forest management and technical skills development, with programs designed to ensure equal access for men and women.
Economy: The project has created well-paid local jobs, paying $42.35 USD/day compared to the local poverty line of $3.29 USD/day. It has also established structured partnerships with multiple organizations to provide sustainable long-term financing, positioning the community to generate significant future income through carbon credit sales.
Environment: The project protects critical habitats for 11 endangered species, including jaguars and tapirs, while maintaining forest connectivity and ecosystem services through FSC-certified sustainable management practices. Over its 100-year lifetime, the project is expected to remove 126.3 million tonnes of CO2 and has already removed over 547,000 verified tonnes in its first two years.
Risk of Reversal
Nature-based projects like this one face some risk of reversal. Carbon storage may be affected by natural hazards such as wildfires, flooding, and escalating climate change impacts. Additionally, human-driven factors such as changes in land use or local governance structures can also impact carbon storage.
Registry & Verification
Third Party Labels
Project Location
Project data sourced from CNaught carbon marketplace. Information may be updated periodically.