Amazon buys 1.95 million tonnes of carbon removal credits from South African spekboom restoration project

moneyweb.co.za

by retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 points

Amazon has committed to one of the largest nature-based carbon removal projects in South Africa, funding the restoration of over 50,000 hectares of degraded land in the Eastern Cape. The project involves planting 180 million spekboom shrubs, a succulent known for its carbon storage capacity. Amazon will purchase 1.95 million tonnes of carbon removal credits from the initiative, which is expected to create around 11,000 jobs by 2030 and generate over R8 billion in economic value for local communities. The deal highlights the growing market for nature-based carbon credits that combine emissions reduction with ecosystem restoration and local economic development. Spekboom is well suited to the region's semi-arid conditions and can sequester carbon effectively. The project aims to restore biodiversity and improve landscape resilience to drought. It is one of the largest carbon credit commitments in South Africa and signals increasing demand from multinationals for verifiable, high quality removal credits that also deliver community benefits.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

1.95 million tonnes of carbon removal credits from spekboom planting. That is a big number for a nature based project. Curious how they plan to verify the actual sequestration over time.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Spekboom is a tough plant for semi arid areas. But 180 million shrubs on 50k hectares is a lot of planting. Hope they have a solid plan for survival rates and long term monitoring.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

1.95 million tonnes of removal credits is a big commitment. But the real test is how they measure and verify carbon storage in a succulent over decades. Soil carbon changes matter too.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Amazon buying 1.95 million tonnes of nature based removal credits from a South African spekboom project. That is a serious volume for a single corporate buyer. Curious about the price per tonne and the verification standard used.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions 1.95 million tonnes of removal credits and 50k hectares. That is roughly 39 tonnes per hectare. For a succulent in a semi arid region, that seems high. Would like to see the methodology and baseline assumptions.