Carbon Credits: MASAF Guidelines for the New National Registry Published

The publication in the Official Journal of the MASAF decree containing the Guidelines for the implementation of the National Public Register of Carbon Credits Generated on a Voluntary Basis by the Agriculture and Forestry Sector represents a crucial step towards establishing a recognized, verifiable, and standards-based national carbon credit market.

How it works The registry sees the role of CREA at the forefront, as the body managing the Registry.

The measure lays the foundation for a system based on transparency, credibility, and traceability , key elements for the effectiveness of any instrument linked to climate change mitigation.

Italy boasts 10 million hectares of forest , and from today they can benefit from businesses that want to help combat climate change with positive actions to improve our green heritage.

The approval of the guidelines establishes the requirements for obtaining the registration of "carbon credits" in the register , certificates that correspond to the capacity to store carbon dioxide based on a forest management project monitored and certified according to transparent and reliable mechanisms.

The guidelines require that the carbon credits to be entered in the register correspond to:

• management of the woodland area that brings additional activities to the mere conservation required by current legislation and already mandatory today;
• a forest management project lasting at least 20 years, certified by an accredited third-party body (similar to what happens for DOP and IGP products and organic production).

The generated credit may be transferred to third parties after at least five years from its inception and after registration in the Register kept by Crea.

In this way, value can be generated both for the owners and managers of the forest area , but also for local communities and the State .

This measure improves land protection and addresses the needs of inland areas, which will be able to find new partners to support forest management policies.

In this scenario, the role of third-party certification and the national accreditation system are particularly important, areas in which CSQA has been operating as a reference body for years.

Finally, the legislation anticipates that a subsequent provision will clarify the guidelines dedicated to the agricultural section , identifying the criteria necessary for recognizing carbon credits generated by this sector. (Source: https://www.masaf.gov.it/ )