This "Ridge to Reef" REDD+ project protects 497,000 hectares of coastal watershed in Cambodia. REDD+ is one of the most effective carbon offset protocols and stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation program developed by the UNFCC.

The Southern Cardamom project contains 2000+ hectares of pristine mangrove forest and helps to protect and enhance a further 50,000+ hectares of mangroves (the largest contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the Gulf of Thailand) that directly surround the project boundary. Blue-carbon mangrove ecosystems are most effective when they are directly connected to a healthy watershed (more on that below). 

Project snapshot:

- With both VCS and CCBA certification, the project produces 3.5 million metric tons of carbon credits per year. 

- Home to myriad endangered species, like the Irrawaddy dolphin and Malaysian Sun Bear

- The project provides 200+ jobs, and education and healthcare benefits for 16,000+ people in the local community

The Southern Cardamom Project is designed to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation, maintain biodiversity and create alternative livelihoods under the United Nations REDD+ scheme. The project is part of the Indo-Burma Hotspot, one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, and is a critical watershed for the Gulf of Thailand, with a mosaic of habitats from dense evergreen and pine forests on its ridge tops to lowland melaleuca wetlands, flooded grasslands, lakes and coastal mangroves in its lowlands.