We note the update of the results from the second and final component of Verra’s quality control review (QCR) of the Kariba REDD+ Project, through which the project’s validation/verification bodies (VVBs) revisited their original audit work, which included site visit reports, community interviews, and financial records. In doing so, the VVBs could not identify evidence of a breach of Verra’s rules in the three areas they examined for that time period: trophy hunting, benefit sharing, and financial compliance.
Verra's statement on the review reaffirms that:
The VVB’s found no evidence of a breach of Verra’s rules in the three areas examined: trophy hunting, benefit sharing, and financial compliance.
The status of retired Kariba REDD+ credits will remain valid in the Verra Registry. This should give confidence to past buyers of Kariba credits that the validity of their credits remains intact.
The project’s carbon accounting methodology was correctly followed during the project’s first crediting period.
South Pole ceased all involvement with both the project and the project owner & proponent from 2023. In its past role as carbon asset developer, South Pole has consistently and correctly applied Verra's VM0009 methodology as it pertains to carbon accounting, as affirmed by Verra's carbon accounting review. The project was permitted to withdraw from the registry in 2024, which negated the in-built true up mechanism in the methodology, which if followed as envisaged, would have corrected excess issuances in past vintages with reduced issuances in future vintages.
Nevertheless, alongside South Pole's wider cooperation as part of the Verra review, in September 2025 South Pole proactively requested that Verra cancel the 2.5 Million verified Kariba REDD+ credits South Pole holds to help address the discrepancies in issued credits and uphold the environmental integrity of the project.
This contribution builds on South Pole's concerted efforts to strengthen the company's quality, risk, and compliance protocols. More information here.