ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation)

From $58/tonne

Overview

Nature-based solutions (NBS) provide an immediate and proven way to remove carbon, with carbon credits available through the voluntary carbon market (VCM). While NBS projects, like tree planting and agroforestry, typically have lower carbon permanence compared to engineered solutions, they offer an affordable, short-term option as we await the scale-up of more permanent carbon removal technologies.

To enhance transparency and trust in NBS removals, Supercritical has developed subcategories for different project types: blue carbon and mangrove restoration; native reforestation; and — our primary focus — community agroforestry. Community agroforestry projects partner with smallholder farmers to integrate tree planting with agriculture, sequestering carbon while improving crop resilience and supporting local communities.

Community agroforestry projects offer high-integrity, measurable carbon removal backed by advanced monitoring and verification technologies. They also offer co-benefits like biodiversity protection, food security, and job creation, making them an ideal entry point for buyers seeking credible carbon removal solutions.

The science

Growing a tree might seem simple, but there is considerable science behind nature-based carbon removal methods like afforestation and reforestation. A successful project must go beyond just planting trees—it should also enhance biodiversity, improve soil and water quality, boost food production, and empower local communities. Neglecting these elements is one of the most common reasons reforestation projects fail. At Supercritical, we only work with suppliers who actively engage local communities or are led by them, ensuring that projects benefit both the environment and the people involved.

The selection of tree species is also critical. Planting monocultures, or single-species plantations, can be harmful. However, in some instances, they can be balanced with long-term sustainable practices that support local populations and restore ecosystems like riparian zones. Trees should be native, resilient to climate change, and offer ongoing benefits such as food or fertilizer to local farmers. This increases the likelihood that the trees will remain intact long after the project's contractual obligations end, ensuring long-term carbon sequestration and co-benefits.

Despite the scientific basis and potential benefits of NBS, like tree planting, the carbon credit market for NBS has been criticized for issues such as poor monitoring, unreliable baselines, and community exploitation, particularly in emissions avoidance projects. To address these concerns, Supercritical is developing transparent, science-driven frameworks to assess NBS projects, starting with a particular focus on community agroforestry. This approach integrates tree planting with farming, offering clear, measurable carbon removal benefits, food security, biodiversity protection, and sustainable livelihoods for local farmers. These projects exemplify a new generation of NBS — transparent, measurable, and impactful.

Research papers 5

Supercritical‘s view

Nature-based solutions are essential in the global effort to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and meet net-zero targets. While engineered solutions like direct air capture (DAC) have significant potential for large-scale carbon removal in the future, they are still years away from full deployment. In contrast, NBS provides an immediate, proven method to sequester carbon through natural processes such as afforestation and reforestation.

The NBS market has faced challenges due to concerns over transparency, baselines, and the credibility of emissions avoidance projects. However, not all NBS projects are equal, and many high-quality initiatives can drive real impact. To properly assess quality, our approach at Supercritical is to create detailed vetting frameworks for specific subcategories within NBS, emphasizing projects that offer high integrity and measurable outcomes.

Community agroforestry, for example, combines carbon removal with community empowerment and biodiversity protection. These projects show how NBS can deliver both climate and social benefits. By ensuring transparency through comprehensive monitoring and verification, our vetting process restores trust and helps buyers confidently invest in high-quality carbon removal projects.

Dr Mai Bui

Director of climate science

Our suppliers

We list high-quality community agroforestry projects where smallholder farmers plant native tree species on marginal lands, ensuring no competing uses like food production.

By integrating trees into agricultural landscapes, these projects not only remove CO₂ but also improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, and create resilience to climate change. Farmers manage the planting themselves, and local communities receive up to 90% of the proceeds from carbon credit sales.

One of our projects operates across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and India, with over 200,000 farmers planting 25 million trees and sequestering 10 million tonnes of CO₂ to date.

Through transparency and rigorous monitoring, these projects restore trust in nature-based carbon removal solutions and showcase the power of community agroforestry in addressing climate change.

Brazil
Ethiopia
Kenya
Uganda

Verifications

Every project in the marketplace receives a score through our science-driven, commercially-focused vetting protocol.

Covering 100+ criteria across four key dimensions, this rigorous evaluation yields top-line scores, allowing you to compare projects and evaluate quality objectively. Dive deeper with our vetting explainer.

Climate science

Is the climate science that underpins the carbon credit rock solid?
- Remove carbon
- Have clear permanence
- Accurately issue credits
- Is additional
- Does not suffer leakage
- Strong MRV (Measured, Reported and Verified)
Environmental factors

Beyond the removal of CO2, does the project have a positive or negative impact on the local environment?
- Neutral or positive impact on biodiversity
- Neutral or positive impact on air quality
- Neutral or positive impact on soil health
- No negative effects on groundwater
Delivery risk

What is the risk of non-delivery of credits?
- Site development
- Site operational track record
- Team experience and capability
- Business plan and funding
- Levels of geopolitical risk
Social impact

Does the project have a positive or negative impact on local communities, per UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
- Economic empowerment of local communities
- Integrates education and community engagement
- Better health outcomes

Browse our removal methods

Biochar

Biochar is charcoal-like material rich in stable carbon. It is produced by heating biomass in an oxygen-limited environment in a process called pyrolysis.

Permanence: MEDIUM From: $162/t
ARR

Afforestation and forest restoration, if done effectively, combat climate change by removing carbon dioxide and protecting biodiversity.

Permanence: LOW From: $58/t
Enhanced weathering

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) takes natural weathering of silicate rocks that removes & mineralizes atmospheric CO₂ and speeds it up dramatically.

Permanence: HIGH From: $312/t
Direct air capture

Direct air capture (DAC) is a chemical process to capture ambient CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Permanence: HIGH From: $618/t
DAC with ocean storage

This employs seawater electrolysis to capture and convert atmospheric CO₂ into carbonate solids for construction and permanently stores dissolved bicarbonate ions in the ocean.

Permanence: HIGH From: $812/t
Woody biomass sinking

This is a method that sequesters carbon by submerging leftover woody materials in the oxygen-depleted layer of the Black Sea, which is approximately 2 kilometers deep.

Permanence: MEDIUM From: $375/t
Bio-oil

Bio-oil and biochar production both convert waste biomass through pyrolysis. Bio-oil is a liquid stored in geological repositories, while biochar is applied to soils.

Permanence: HIGH From: $750/t