30/11/23
News
ISA CTEEP partners with IHP to map areas in the Pantanal with potential for developing new carbon credit projects
- The focus is to expand the Jaguar Connection Program by enabling forest preservation and restoration projects in priority areas for the conservation of the jaguar’s habitat;
- In the first half of this year, the Jaguar Connection Program, in partnership with the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP), provided funding and technical support for the first REDD+ project in the Pantanal.
São Paulo, November 30, 2023 – According to consulting firm McKinsey, Brazil holds 15% of the global potential for carbon capture through preserved forests. However, the country utilizes less than 1% of its annual capacity for generating carbon credits. Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Brazil has a potential carbon credit market worth US$ 120 billion, which could boost the country’s GDP by 5%.
In light of this, ISA CTEEP, Brazil’s leading energy transmission company, announces a new partnership with the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP) to map forest areas in the Pantanal with potential for developing new preservation and restoration projects aimed at generating carbon credits. These credits are preservation incentives developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), financially rewarding areas for their results in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
This initiative is part of the Jaguar Connection Program, a sustainability initiative launched in 2019 by ISA – ISA CTEEP’s parent company – and its affiliates, with the goal of promoting biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and community development. The focus is to support the implementation of projects in priority areas for jaguar habitat conservation, contributing to climate mitigation in line with the energy transition by encouraging and strengthening carbon capture and storage.
“One of the main goals of Jaguar Connection is to drive the development of projects that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, with the potential to generate and trade carbon credits that economically support ecosystem protection and biodiversity corridors,” explains Ana Carolina David, ISA CTEEP’s Manager of Communication, Sustainability, and Institutional Relations.
“This project provides long-overdue recognition for those working to conserve the Pantanal, as it will financially reward those who protect these areas. The Pantanal is a biome with a high level of conservation, and Jaguar Connection will enhance these preservation efforts, generating positive impact through a top predator and bioindicator species—the jaguar—benefiting over a hundred other species, as well as the local flora. It represents a commitment to the future,” says Ângelo Rabelo, President of the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP).
Pioneering Effort: First Carbon Credit Certification in the Pantanal (MS)
Jaguar Connection provided technical and financial support to enable the first certified REDD+ project in the Pantanal, achieved in the first half of 2023: the Serra do Amolar REDD+ project, managed by IHP.
This sustainability initiative protects over 135,000 hectares in the Serra do Amolar region, located in Corumbá (MS), forming a biodiversity corridor for jaguars and dozens of other animal species. It is the first REDD+ project to issue carbon credits in the Pantanal biome. ISA CTEEP is responsible for technical and financial support, while IHP manages the protected area and ensures the project’s continuity.
The Serra do Amolar REDD+ project has the potential to reduce over 430,000 tons of CO₂e by 2030, with a total of 231,000 certified carbon credits. It also aims to reduce unplanned deforestation—including fire, the main driver of deforestation in the biome—by 90%.
Call for New Projects
Those interested in joining the Jaguar Connection Program can submit their forest projects at conexionjaguar.org. Selected initiatives will receive technical and financial support to issue and trade carbon credits under the highest international standards (VCS + CCB or Gold Standard), as well as technical assistance to assess the conservation status of medium and large vertebrate species in the project area.
About ISA CTEEP
With a team of over 1,600 employees, ISA CTEEP operates in 18 states, managing a transmission network through which 30% of all electricity transmitted in Brazil and 94% in the State of São Paulo flows. Its electrical system comprises more than 31,000 km of circuits (about 28,000 in operation and 3,400 under construction), including owned and jointly controlled assets, and 137 owned substations (129 in operation and eight under construction) with voltages up to 550 kV. Its controlling shareholder is the Colombian company ISA, which holds 35.82% of the total capital.
Press contacts: ISA CTEEP – RPMA Comunicação
Kelly Queiroz – +55 (11) 94216-3176
Sara Saar – +55 (11) 97566-2433
isacteep@rpmacomunicacao.com.br
About IHP
With 20 years of experience, the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP) shares with society the challenges of conserving the Pantanal and its biodiversity. It is a non-profit civil society organization focused on nature stewardship in the Pantanal biome, respecting local history and culture. Its activities include managing protected areas, supporting research, and promoting dialogue among stakeholders.
IHP manages the Serra do Amolar Protection and Conservation Network (Rede Amolar), created in 2008, which includes partnerships with other conservation organizations. The network forms a biodiversity corridor in the Pantanal covering over 300,000 hectares. Within this territory, IHP oversees the São Gonçalo, Santa Rosa, and Serra Negra areas and co-owns the Engenheiro Eliezer Batista Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN). IHP also manages the Vale do Paraíso and Morro Alegre farms and four additional RPPNs (Penha, Acurizal, Dorochê, and Rumo Oeste).
Press contact – IHP
Rodolfo César – +55 (16) 99178-3839