OxCarbon Processes
OxCarbon Standard Overview
V1.6 (Updated Jan 2023)
What is the OxCarbon Principles-Based Standard?
The OxCarbon Principles-Based Standard is an academic validation framework for community-based ecosystem projects and programmes supporting rural organisations, and community groups to improve natural resource management aligned with the Oxford Offsetting Principles. The standard ensures that OxCarbon projects benefit local communities’ livelihoods, enhance ecosystems and protect biodiversity.
Through reliable academic validation reports and voluntary carbon credits, OxCarbon produces a structure for the fair transaction of ecosystem services with communities and enables access to various funding sources and markets for ecosystem services, including voluntary carbon credits.
The OxCarbon Guidelines details the criteria and assessment process for projects to be certified under the OxCarbon standard. This document is for project developers, coordinators, and proponents interested in registering under OxCarbon.
Criteria For Approving Projects
The OxCarbon Board will perform evaluations to analyse the suitability of projects. OxCarbon is looking for proposals that address these criteria:
- Auditability & Transparency
- Accuracy
- Additionality
- Scalability
Submitted Approaches are inviting independent review, which will critically evaluate the potential of the methodology.
Process to be Certified with OxCarbon
The submitted draft project design should include the following:
- Safeguarding principles assessment
- Estimation of climate and sustainable development impacts
- Management and monitoring plan
Gain a third-party evaluation with an OxCarbon-approved validator of the project’s technical specifications and the method applied for carbon calculations.The project validation must include:
- The complete project design document and all relevant supporting documentation
- A desk review and field visit with documented evidence that the project aligns with the OxCarbon Standard
- Contract with the third party validator, signed and dated
OxCarbon will review the project documentation and may make recommendations of corrective actions if required. The final project submission must include:
- Completed project design document
- The final validation report and approval of the project from the third-party validator
Following approval of technical specifications, the project will be:
- Entered into OxCarbon Projects Library
- Provided with an OxCarbon Registry account
Submission of the project’s first ANNUAL report must include:
- A monitoring report for verification of impact records and/or products
- Updates on all significant elements of administration and operation
OxCarbon will review the project documentation and may make recommendations of corrective actions if required.
The performance review documents must include:
- Complete monitoring report and all relevant supporting documentation
- Verification and approval of the annual review documents by an third-party validator
Issuance of an OxCarbon certificate for the approved results of the following:
- Adherence to safety measures and stakeholder inclusivity
- Climate and sustainable development impact achieved
Oxford Offsetting Principles
Access to The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting (Sept 2020) is via the below link:
For all project related enquiries, please email: enquiries@oxcarbon.org
enquiries@OxCarbon.org