Samar forest restoration project uses carbon credits and private investment to rehabilitate 120,000 hectares

A 50 year forest restoration project in Samar is using carbon credits and private capital to rehabilitate 120,000 hectares of degraded land inside the Samar Island National Park. The partnership between French firm aDryada, Samar Bamboo Corp., and the Philippine government aims to restore ecosystems without relying on public funding. The area is nearly twice the size of Metro Manila, and the project includes job creation, social infrastructure, and a benefit sharing scheme for over 20,000 residents living inside the protected area. The project is structured as a 50 year agreement that taps carbon credit revenue to cover restoration costs and generate returns for private investors. Proponents say it could serve as a national model for combining climate action, rural development, and private investment. The scale is significant: 120,000 hectares of degraded forestland inside the Samar Island National Park. If the carbon credit methodology and monitoring hold up, this could be one of the larger nature based carbon projects in the Philippines.