Carbon credit company thwarts kayapós in Pará – 06/27/2023 – Environment

Carbonext, the company that presents itself as the largest generator of carbon credits in the country from the protection of the Amazon, abandoned a partnership with the Kayapó Mebengôkres, from the Kayapó Indigenous Land, after promises of “millions of reais” to the indigenous people, in anticipation of payments and the development of a project that would be a “life plan”.

The MPF (Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office) in Pará, through a preliminary procedure, began to monitor the company’s dealings with the Kayapó people in the traditional territory, which is located in the south of the state, in January.

The Kayapó Indigenous Land has the most gold prospecting in Brazil, taking into account the extent of areas open to illegal gold exploration in a demarcated territory.

Between the first meeting with indigenous leaders and the signing of a contract for a project to generate and sell carbon credits, it took less than three months.

In the meantime, Carbonext representatives made several promises to the Kayapó, mentioning “large resources for the community” and a project designed to contemplate “children and grandchildren”.

The MPF’s preliminary procedure began to investigate suspicions of running over instances; absence of free and prior consultation; risk of deceit and injury to indigenous peoples; and “suspicions of haste and contempt for indigenous institutions”.

The pledge was signed on January 30. On March 22, the company formally withdrew from the partnership, with the signing of a contract with part of the leaders involved in the process.

A Sheet, Carbonext said it had reformulated the stages for project development after the experience with the Kayapós. The public consultation protocol moved from the final stage to the initial one.

“Carbonext follows the strictest international standards of governance and compliance and is absolutely confident in stating that it has always conducted all dealings with representatives of indigenous communities with absolute transparency and respect,” he said in a statement.

“The company has a compliance rule to always notify the authorities about projects with native peoples and invite them to participate in the meetings”, he said. The MPF was invited to participate in the meetings, and Funai (National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples) and the Public Defender’s Office followed the meetings, according to the company.

The abandonment of the project frustrated some of the indigenous leaders and deepened internal disagreements. The Kayapó have multiple representations, and disagreements are common, especially between those who support and those who do not support illegal mining.

Associations saw carbon credits as a way out of supporting miners. This support is given by minority groups of indigenous people in at least 5 of the 55 villages, including the mother village, Gorotire.

The report of Sheet In April, he was in the Kayapó Indigenous Land, both in Gorotire, 52 km from Cumaru do Norte (PA), and in Turedjam, 20 km from Ourilândia do Norte (PA). The two villages are surrounded by illegal mines, which have reached very close to the communities. The entry of excavators and trucks only occurs upon payment of fees to indigenous groups.

The report on the siege of the mines to the Kayapó was published on the 16th.

In both villages, chiefs and leaders expressed hope with the carbon credit project with Carbonext. They reported that consultations were under way in other communities to validate the initiative. They treated the partnership as if it still existed — the termination had already taken place almost a month ago.

Carbon credits are generated from activities that prevent deforestation and forest degradation. The instrument that allows this is REDD+, developed under the UN Convention on Climate Change.

One carbon credit equals one tonne of CO_two which is no longer emitted into the atmosphere due to the deforestation that was avoided. Companies like Carbonext operate in the voluntary market, where carbon credits are sold to companies that need to offset their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbonext started to seek the development of projects in indigenous lands, even though there is still no regulation in the country.

The Lula government (PT) is preparing a regulation of the carbon credit market, a proposal that already exists in projects under discussion in Congress, and wants to create a national measurement system to issue its own carbon certificates, currently in charge of foreign entities.

When explaining the project to the Kayapó, Carbonext said that it had projects with five other indigenous peoples: Paiter Suruí, in Rondônia; wide straps and macaws from Rio Branco, in Mato Grosso; mundurukus from the Coatá-Laranjal Indigenous Land, in the Amazon; and Tembés from the Alto Rio Guamá Indigenous Land, in Pará.

“Currently, Carbonext does not have a contract with any indigenous community. The company even signed contracts with these five communities, but all were terminated by common agreement between the parties based on the understanding that greater legal certainty was needed to develop the project for the next 30 years,” the company said in a statement.

A Sheet had access to the minutes of meetings between representatives of Carbonext and leaders of the Kayapó Indigenous Land.

According to the documents, the first meeting took place on November 9, 2022, by videoconference. Afterwards, representatives of Kayapó associations were taken to São Paulo for a meeting on December 6th.

A member of Carbonext said that the indigenous carbon credit has the potential to be sold for up to US$ 20 (about R$ 95) and that today this credit is sold for US$ 15 (R$ 71). That amount, however, could reach US$85 in the coming years, according to the report.

“The project could generate millions of reais for the indigenous people per year, due to the size and pressure of deforestation”, said Carbonext at the meeting. According to the explanation given, each hectare produces, on average, 400 tons of carbon credits —one credit corresponds to one ton.

Then, on the 21st and 22nd of January, there was a face-to-face meeting in the Kriny village, in Kayapó territory. Several leaders were present, with seven associations represented. There was a Funai employee and a member of the Pará Public Defender’s Office at the site.

Once again, a member of Carbonext detailed promises. “The proposal for the carbon credit project is a 30-year partnership, a very long one. A project that is thought of for children and grandchildren. I believe it can be a moment of change for the community, which can carry out its life plan, do what I always wanted and didn’t have the resources to do”, said a representative of the company.

Carbonext also stated that it had already spoken with companies interested in the advance purchase of credits.

According to the proposal, the indigenous people would keep 70% of the value, and Carbonext, 30%. On January 30, just over a week later, the term of commitment was signed.

The company admitted to the MPF that the Kayapó still do not have a formally established consultation protocol. Therefore, there could be questions about the procedures that preceded the signing of the contract and “compromising the legal certainty of the project in the future”.

Carbonext and indigenous leaders signed the dissolution on March 22. The break was communicated to the MPF the following month. In view of this, the Attorney General’s Office in Redenção (PA) closed the preliminary investigation procedure.

_{The project Planeta em Transe is supported by the Open Society Foundations.}