Sylvera Open Carbon Data Project: Unlocking Investment in Brazilian Atlantic Forest with Rockefeller and Meta

rockefellerfoundation.org

by policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 points

Sylvera has launched the Open Carbon Data Project, a new initiative to create high-resolution, open-access forest carbon data for the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Backed by $900,000 in funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and Meta, the project aims to address a key barrier to scaling carbon markets: the lack of trusted, scientifically rigorous data for measuring, reporting, and verifying forest carbon stocks. The dataset will combine field measurements with advanced remote sensing to improve satellite-based monitoring models. This should lower costs and barriers for smallholder and community-led projects to participate in carbon markets, while increasing confidence among investors and corporate buyers. The data will be released under a CC BY 4.0 open license later this year, hosted by the World Resources Institute. Partners include the State University of Santa Cruz, World Resources Institute, and Symbiosis Coalition. The project emphasizes local anchoring, working with Brazilian universities and landowners to ensure scientific integrity and equitable participation. If successful, it could serve as a model for scaling nature-based climate finance in other complex ecosystems.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Open access forest carbon data from the Atlantic Forest. Sylvera, Rockefeller, and Meta putting in $900k to fund field measurements and remote sensing work. Data goes to WRI under CC BY 4.0 later this year. Worth reading for anyone tracking MRV bottlenecks.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

The smallholder angle is the part that matters most. If the data actually lowers the verification cost floor, then community projects in the Atlantic Forest have a real shot at getting credits verified without paying a fortune for consultants.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Field measurements plus remote sensing is the right combo. But calibration only works if the ground samples are dense enough across the biome. How many plots are they actually measuring? That number decides whether the satellite models are useful or just noisy.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The open license matters more than the plot count for market adoption. If registries and buyers can all reference the same baseline data, you cut out a lot of the methodological disputes that slow down credit issuance. Still early but the structure is right.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

900k is not a huge sum for this kind of work. Field campaigns in tropical forests are expensive. Curious whether the funding covers multi-year remeasurement or just a single snapshot. Carbon stocks change over time, one pass is not enough.