Raja Ampat Seagrass Conservation
DemonstrationMCC-2024-0015 • Indonesia • West Papua
REGISTERED
Methodology
MCC-002
Country
Indonesia
West Papua
Estimated Area
1,800 ha
Est. Credits/Year
12,400
Start Date
4/1/2024
Crediting Period
25 years
Project Description
Protection and restoration of 1,800 hectares of seagrass meadows in the Raja Ampat Marine Protected Area, Papua, Indonesia. Project integrates indigenous Papuan community guardianship with satellite-based seagrass mapping and AI-monitored compliance. Delivers biodiversity co-benefits for 1,700+ marine species.
Project lifecycle
Project workflowREGISTERED
Milestones (3/5 completed)
- Baseline ecological surveyCOMPLETED
Establish pre-project ecological baseline using transect surveys, water quality sampling, and remote-sensing imagery analysis.
Due: 1 May 2024Completed: 3 May 2024 - Stakeholder consultation completedCOMPLETED
Open consultation with coastal communities, fisher cooperatives, and local authorities — minutes archived in project record.
Due: 30 Jun 2024Completed: 6 Jul 2024 - Field implementation kickoffCOMPLETED
On-site teams mobilised; planting, deployment, or protection-measures begin per methodology specification.
Due: 29 Aug 2024Completed: 13 Sept 2024 - First annual monitoring reportPENDING
Year-one monitoring report compiled and submitted; covers biomass, GPS tracks, photo points, and community indicators.
Due: 27 Mar 2025 - Independent validation site visitPENDING
VVB lead auditor visits project site, samples evidence, reviews documentation, drafts validation opinion.
Due: 25 Jun 2025
Validation & verification
Validation
ISO 14064-2:2019COMPLETED
Site visit: 29 Aug 2024 · Opinion issued: 28 Sept 2024
Positive validation opinion issued. The project as described in the PDD meets the eligibility, additionality, and methodology-application requirements of MCC.
Verification
13,875 net creditsCOMPLETED
Quantified
18,500
Buffer
25%
Period: 1 Jan 2024 – 31 Dec 2024
Positive — seagrass expansion confirmed by dive surveys and satellite data. Higher buffer for tropical storm risk.
AI assessment
PDD_COMPLETENESS_REVIEW · 1 May 2024Completeness
94%
Confidence
MEDIUM
83%
Recommendation
PROCEED_TO_VERIFICATION
Section analysis
- Project description92
- Baseline & additionality81
- Quantification86
- Monitoring plan79
- Safeguards & FPIC88
Risk flags
- LOWMETHODOLOGY_DEVIATION_LOW
- LOWEVIDENCE_GAP_MINOR
Technical review
COMPLETEDRECOMMEND APPROVE
Project meets all technical requirements. Methodology applied correctly; observations closed.
Findings (3)
- OBSERVATIONCLOSEDPDD §3.2 / Methodology baseline approachMinor clarification recommended on baseline-period selection rationale.Response: Project developer response submitted; revised section uploaded as v1.1 of PDD. Reviewer accepted.
- NON_CONFORMITY_MINORCLOSEDPDD §5.4 / Monitoring requirementsMonitoring plan should specify QA/QC sampling frequency for sediment carbon density.Response: Project developer response submitted; revised section uploaded as v1.1 of PDD. Reviewer accepted.
- OBSERVATIONCLOSEDPDD §7.1 / SD contributionCo-benefits narrative would benefit from quantified gender-disaggregated employment data.Response: Project developer response submitted; revised section uploaded as v1.1 of PDD. Reviewer accepted.
Sustainable development contributions
7.5
Overall score
Assessed: 30 Jun 2024Climate (SDG 13) contribution from carbon sequestration and avoided emissions in the project boundary.
Indicators (2)
- 9Annual CO2-eq sequestration13.20 tCO2e → 8420 tCO2e
- 7Climate resilience index (community survey)13.12.4 / 5 → 3.6 / 5
8.2
Overall score
SD-Vista EligibleAssessed: 30 Jun 2024Life Below Water (SDG 14) contribution from habitat protection, biodiversity recovery, and sustainable use of marine resources.
Indicators (3)
- 8Coral / seagrass / mangrove cover (%)14.238% → 52%
- 9Area effectively protected (ha)14.50 → 1250
- 8Fish biomass index (kg / 100 m²)14.412.1 → 18.7
6.8
Overall score
Assessed: 30 Jun 2024Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) contribution from local employment, training, and supply-chain participation.
Indicators (3)
- 7Local jobs created (FTE)8.50 → 34
- 8Women in project workforce (%)5.50% → 41%
- 7Households with improved livelihood income1.40 → 210
Safeguards & ESIA
Screened: 31 May 2024Risk category
CATEGORY_BFPIC status
OBTAINEDClearance
CLEAREDESIA required
YESESIA scoping completed; no Category-A risks identified. ESMP includes adaptive management triggers and grievance mechanism. FPIC documented with neighbouring communities.
Evidence library (8)
PHOTOGRAPHIC · 2FIELD_OBSERVATION · 2LAB_ANALYSIS · 1COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY · 1SATELLITE_IMAGERY · 1GPS_TRACK · 1
| Type | Description | Collected | GPS | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | Drone orthomosaic of project area at 5 cm GSD; overlap 80%/70%; captured in optimal tide window. | 30 Jul 2024 | — | ✓ 18 Oct 2024 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | Megafauna sightings log: turtles, sharks, cetaceans recorded with timestamp, GPS, and observer. | 15 Jul 2024 | — | — |
| LAB_ANALYSIS | Sediment carbon density samples analysed via LECO CN628; bulk density and organic carbon fractions. | 30 Jun 2024 | — | ✓ 29 Aug 2024 |
| COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY | Signed minutes from FPIC consultation with neighbouring fisher cooperative; questions and concessions recorded. | 15 Jun 2024 | — | — |
| SATELLITE_IMAGERY | Sentinel-2 L2A imagery, 10 m resolution, NDVI and water-index composites for monitoring period. | 31 May 2024 | — | ✓ 10 Jul 2024 |
| GPS_TRACK | Surveyor GPS track of restored / protected polygon perimeter; CSV exported from Garmin GPSMAP. | 16 May 2024 | — | — |
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | Geo-tagged photo points at 12 fixed monitoring stations; canopy cover and seedling survival visible. | 1 May 2024 | — | ✓ 21 May 2024 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | Quadrat sampling along three 100 m transects; species count and percent-cover recorded by trained ecologists. | 16 Apr 2024 | — | — |
Stakeholder consultation
CLOSEDOpened
31 May 2024
Closes
30 Jun 2024
Total comments
6
Reversal events (0 detected)
No reversal events detected. The buffer pool remains intact.
Live biodiversity (GBIF)
cached 24h · live polygon queryTotal records
80
Species observed
60
Sample size
80
Top 12 species in polygon
| Species | Vernacular | Records | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eviota imitata | — | 4 | — |
| Trimma milta | Red-Earth Pygmygoby | 4 | — |
| Mobula alfredi | Reef manta ray | 3 | sample |
| Trimma agrena | Fishnet Pygmy Goby | 3 | — |
| Arothron nigropunctatus | — | 2 | sample |
| Chaetodon vagabundus | — | 2 | sample |
| Egretta sacra | Pacific Reef-Heron | 2 | — |
| Trimma benjamini | Ring-eye Pygmygoby | 2 | — |
| Eviota pellucida | Transparent Dwarfgoby | 2 | — |
| Trimma okinawae | Orange-red Pygmygoby | 2 | — |
| Eviota korechika | Korechika's Dwarfoby | 2 | — |
| Plectranthias longimanus | Longfin Perchlet | 2 | — |
Source: Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) occurrence search — live polygon query, max 300 records sampled.
Issued credits
Total issued: 13,875Buffer: 4,625Retired: 0
| Vintage | Status | Issued | Buffer | Serial range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ISSUED | 13,875 | 4,625 | MCC-DEMO-CC-2024-0015-000001 → MCC-DEMO-CC-2024-0015-013875 |
Continuous habitat monitoring
Sentinel-2 · CDSE · 4 snapshotsLatest period
1 Apr – 1 May 2026
NDVI mean
-0.079
Habitat coverage
0.1%
Cloud cover
100%
Latest least-cloudy Sentinel-2 mosaic of the project area, retrieved live from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. Continuous monitoring runs monthly.
Biodiversity context
GBIF · OBIS (UNESCO-IOC) · public datasetsGBIF (all biodiversity)
Records
80
Species
62
Last 5y
22
Top species in sample
- Eviota imitata Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann, 20174
- Mobula alfredi (Krefft, 1868)3
- Trimma agrena Winterbottom & Chen, 20043
- Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)2
- Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus, 17582
OBIS (marine-only)
Records
88
Species
34
Last 5y
0
Top marine species in sample
- Trimma agrena9
- Eviota pellucida6
- Trimma benjamini6
- Trimma okinawae6
- Eviota korechika6
Sample of up to 300 occurrences each. GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) covers all taxa; OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, UNESCO-IOC) is the marine subset indexed against WoRMS. Both refresh daily via 24h cache.
Coral habitat composition
Allen Coral Atlas · ASU / Planet / U. Queensland / VulcanReef area
56,800 ha
Bleaching alert
WarningBenthic composition
- Coral45%
- Algae11%
- Rubble6%
- Sand25%
- Seagrass8%
- Rock5%
Geomorphic zones
- Reef slope40%
- Lagoon18%
- Sheltered slope14%
- Reef crest18%
- Outer flat10%
Composition derived from the ACA global vector release at project onboarding time. Roadmap: server-side polygon intersection against the ACA REST API for monthly bleaching-alert updates.
Ocean color (chlorophyll, turbidity)
Sentinel-3 OLCI · CDSE · 2026-04Chlorophyll-a
0.87 mg/m³
NDCI
-0.028
TSM proxy
0.145
Water quality
good · rising
Sentinel-3 OLCI 300 m daily revisit. Chlorophyll-a via OC4Me proxy; NDCI (Mishra & Mishra red-edge) is robust in turbid coastal water. Roadmap: live cron alongside Sentinel-2/Sentinel-1.
Vessel activity in project area
Spire Maritime · global AISUnique vessels (24h)
77
Boundary intrusions (7d)
6
Flag diversity
4
Top vessel types
- Patrol34
- Tanker23
- Passenger11
Sample MMSI traffic
793396098 · Patrol · NO
308796592 · Passenger · UK
264649300 · Fishing · LR
267446577 · Pleasure craft · UK
Sample data shown. Live Spire Maritime AIS subscription required for production traffic monitoring; the backend endpoint is integrated and waiting on subscription activation.
High-resolution commercial snapshot
Planet Labs · PSSceneCapture date
2026-05-08
Resolution
3 m
Cloud cover
3.9%
Area covered
173 km²
Scene ID
20260508_3038_25_4615
Planet PlanetScope 3 m daily / SkySat 0.5 m on-demand. Used to validate Sentinel-derived signals at sub-Sentinel resolution. Backend integrated; live activation pending Orders API entitlement.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sample
NatureMetrics · MCC-EDNA-005-5791Collection date
2026-04-03
Species detected
30
IUCN red list (CR/EN/VU)
2
Top detections by read count
- Thunnus thynnus · Atlantic bluefin tuna2,361 reads
- Stenella longirostris · Spinner dolphin1,444 reads
- Epinephelus marginatus · Dusky grouperVU558 reads
- Cymodocea nodosa · Little Neptune grass1,934 reads
- Posidonia oceanica · Mediterranean seagrass1,614 reads
Sample composition shown. Live NatureMetrics workflow ships sampling kits to field teams; lab returns metabarcoded species assignments against WoRMS / GBIF references. Replaces with real lab output on first sampling cohort.
Created: 4/1/2024
Last Updated: 3/26/2026