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Accountability

Grievances and appeals

Anyone affected by an MCC project, or by the programme itself, can file a grievance here — including when a project's own grievance mechanism is inaccessible or unresponsive. Every grievance gets a reference, a written acknowledgement within 30 days, and a written decision. While a grievance on a project is open, no credits can be issued for it.

How it works

  1. Project level. Every MCC project must run its own free, accessible grievance mechanism and respond within 30 days (ESS Policy cl. 0106–0113; MCC-700 §6.1.4.1 level 1).
  2. Programme level — this channel. File here if the project mechanism failed you, or if the grievance concerns the programme. Acknowledged in writing within 30 days; investigated by the Compliance Function within 60 days (level 2).
  3. Escalation. Critical or unresolved grievances go to the Governing Board (level 3). A fourth level of independent dispute resolution is provided for by MCC-700 section 15, but the Review and Appeals Authority that would hear it has not been constituted and has no appointee, so that level is not available today. A grievance is not refused or closed for that reason: it is decided at level 3, and the escalation right is preserved until the body exists.
  4. Remedy. Decisions are communicated in writing with reasons; remedies may include compensation, project modification or termination (cl. 0118–0119). Unresolved major community grievances lead to permanent credit cancellation (cl. 0198).

Other routes: email contact@marineconservationcredits.com, or post to the programme address on the contact page. Appeals against a programme decision are conferred by MCC-700 and by MCC-100; the body each names has no appointees, and the operational procedure is in draft as MCC-APP. Corrected 4 September 2026.

File a grievance

Free of charge, open to anyone. You may file anonymously; anonymous grievances are processed with the same rigour (ESS Policy cl. 0109). No retaliation is permitted against anyone who files (cl. 0123).

Your name, email and the description are seen by programme staff only. The public register shows the reference, category, project and status.

Public register 0 received · 0 open

No grievance has been filed with the programme. The register is empty because nothing has been received, not because anything is hidden: every grievance filed appears here with its reference and status.

The register shows reference, category, project, status and dates. Complainant identity and the description are held by programme staff and made available to independent monitors and verifiers (ESS Policy cl. 0121). Annual statistics are reported under cl. 0122.