APA meets with carbon credits scheme verifier Aster Global

– raises concerns about lack of information in Amerindian community about LCDS 2030

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) met on Tuesday with representatives of Aster Global, the firm that has been contracted to audit Guyana’s carbon credits scheme to ensure compliance with the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) Secretariat’s TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence) Standard.
Aster Global was represented by Principal Scientist and Lead Auditor Kevin Markham, and Forester/GIS Remote Sensing Specialist Sandesh Shrestha. Accompanying them from ART, as observers, were the Director of Policy, Franklin Paniagua, and Senior Manager of Technical Engagement, Julia Paltseva; while the APA delegation was led by Executive Director Jean La Rose and other secretariat staff.
The discussion primarily focused on the status of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their lands, particularly through the Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) project, and their free, prior and informed consent about their full participation in Guyana’s carbon credits scheme.
The APA, with representation on the ALT Project Board, provided insights into the processes involved in titling and demarcation of Indigenous lands, and the pace of project execution. The APA also highlighted potential impacts on Indigenous Peoples’ access to their lands, and provided some insights into the effects of climate change on indigenous communities, and the need for a holistic approach to deal with this.
Aster Global’s representatives currently in Guyana are verifying conformance with TREES standards for the year 2022. They are engaging various stakeholders, including indigenous communities, to ensure transparency and inclusivity in the verification process.
The APA has reiterated its position: that it remains crucial that environmental initiatives like the carbon credits scheme respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their land tenure, and adhere to FPIC principles for communities. The APA emphasized that it is not against the carbon credits initiative; rather, it is the process and general lack of information that are being objected to.
The APA told the verifiers that the lack of information in communities as it relates to Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 (LCDS) and the carbon credits scheme remains unaddressed by the Government and executing agencies.
During the meeting, Markham asked a series of questions surrounding concerns raised by the APA during its last meeting with Aster Global in June 2023.
The meeting was also used to elicit answers from Aster Global’s team about their work and how they ensure compliance with the TREE Standards.