PROJECT PROFILE · CERTIFICATE-BASED CLIMATE PROTECTION
PACAJAI REDD+ · Brazil
VCS981 describes a REDD project in the Brazilian state of Pará. The current Verra status is "On Hold – see notification letter". This page therefore makes visible not only the project logic, but also the ongoing assessment, historical units, and the limits of reliable statements.
BRAZILIAN AMAZON · STOCK IMAGE
Note: The photograph shows an Amazon landscape near Alta Floresta in Mato Grosso. It has not been verified as a depiction of the actual VCS981 project area in Pará and Portel, and does not prove any project impact. Photo: Christopher Borges / Pexels.
COUNTRY
Brazil
Verra ID
VCS981
PROJECT TYPE
REDD · AFOLU
STATUS IN REGISTER
On Hold
WHY TRANSPARENCY MATTERS
A REDD balance sheet combines project boundaries, baseline data, monitoring, leakage deductions, non-permanence risks, and independent auditing. Whether the result is robust does not depend solely on satellite imagery. Land-use rights and the authority to implement a project on the site also form part of the foundation.
It is not the image of an intact forest that makes a unit comprehensible, but rather the disclosed chain of land area, law, baseline, monitoring, verification and registry.
CONTENT
01
Project Profile
02
Project approach
03
Calculation
04
Audit questions
05
Assignment
06
Classification
07
Sources
01 · PROJECT AT A GLANCE
The data pass for VCS981
The values below are taken from the publicly accessible Verra registry. They document the current status of the registry, not necessarily the final quality or usability of individual units.
PROJECT NAME IN THE REGISTER
Pacajai REDD+ Project
LOCATION
Brazil · Pará · Microregion and Municipality of Portel
Verra ID
VCS981
PROJECT SPONSORS IN THE REGISTER
Avoided Deforestation Project (Manaus) Limited · ADPML
SECTOR
Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use · AFOLU
AFOLU ACTIVITY
REDD
PROJECT DESCRIPTION IN THE REGISTER
Avoidance of deforestation on private plots at the edge of the deforestation front
PROJECT AREA IN REGISTER
135,106 ha
PROJECT STANDARD
Verified Carbon Standard · VCS
REGISTER METHODOLOGY
VM0015 · Version 1.1
VALIDATOR IN THE REGISTER
Det Norske Veritas Climate Change Services AS · DNV
ESTIMATED PROJECT START
01/01/2008
REGISTRATION DATE
06/04/2020
CREDITING PERIOD
01/01/2009–31/12/2048 · Term 1
ESTIMATED ANNUAL AVERAGE
264,116 t CO₂e
ISSUED VCUs
10,060,355
ACTIVE VCUs
1,376,150
DECOMMISSIONED VCUs
7,458,182
CANCELLED VCUs
0
TOTAL BUFFER CONTRIBUTIONS
1,348,671
CURRENT REGISTER STATUS
On Hold – see notification letter
TEST BENCH OF THIS PAGE
05/09/2026
The status belongs in the profile, not in the small print: Verra currently lists VCS981 as "On Hold" and refers in the document section to the letter "981_New Review Notification Letter_08SEPT2023.pdf". The outcome of the review is not shown as completed in the registry.
What is being publicly reported regarding the audit: The Wall Street Journal reported in March 2026, citing Verra, that the project developers had not yet been able to prove sufficient rights to implement the project for parts of the area. Accordingly, no new units can be issued during the suspension. This is public reporting on the ongoing proceedings, not a final determination by this site.
Why the previous version is not being adopted: The provided legacy page states around 95,000 ha and VM0007. The current register entry shows 135,106 ha and VM0015 Version 1.1. For this profile, the current register status takes precedence.
Historical units remain to be read separately: The registry shows issued, active and retired VCUs despite the current on-hold status. A previous issuance or subsequent retirement does not automatically answer the open questions of the ongoing audit.
02 · WHAT THE PROJECT APPROACH PROVIDES
Model deforestation pressure, monitor forest development and balance deviations
The project is not a reforestation project. Its climate impact is calculated as avoided emissions compared to a baseline.
01
Determine area and rights
Project boundaries, ownership or usage rights, and the authority for implementation must be clearly and comprehensibly documented. This exact foundation is subject to particular attention in VCS981.
02
Set reference development
The baseline describes how deforestation and carbon stocks would have been expected to develop without the project. It is a methodological modelling, not a directly observable future.
03
Monitor forest change
Monitoring data is compared with the baseline for defined periods of time. Project emissions, leakage, uncertainty, and non-permanence risks influence the eligible volume.
03 · HOW A UNIT IS CREATED
The registry specifies Version 1.1 for VCS981 VM0015. The project, monitoring and verification documents published for the respective monitoring period are authoritative.
01
Model baseline
An expected deforestation trend is derived for the reference region and applied to the defined project area.
02
Determine carbon stocks
Areas, forest types and included carbon pools are delineated. Data quality and uncertainty are part of the calculation.
03
Apply monitoring and deductions
Observed changes are compared against the baseline. Project emissions, leakage, and other prescribed deductions reduce the gross quantity.
04
Checking, buffer and output
After independent verification, a portion is allocated to the AFOLU buffer. Only the remaining eligible quantity can be issued as a VCU with a vintage and serial number.
04 · WHAT ADDITIONAL CHECKS MUST BE MADE
Four questions that a green forest image cannot answer
For REDD projects, classification depends on several assumptions and supporting evidence. The current status of VCS981 makes these assessment questions particularly relevant.
AREA AND LAW
Who is allowed to trade on which area?
Plots of land, overlaps with public areas, permits and rights of local groups must match the project area and the claimed benefits.
BASELINE
How plausible is the expected deforestation?
The reference region, time period, drivers, and model assumptions largely determine the calculated size of the avoided emission.
LEAKAGE AND PERMANENCE
Is deforestation being displaced or delayed?
Displacement effects and the risk of a subsequent reversal must be taken into account. Buffer contributions mitigate risks, but do not eliminate them.
SOCIAL AND BIODIVERSITY
Which other effects are actually proven?
Social or biological contributions require their own indicators, time periods and verification documents. The registry entry also contains a document entitled 'CCB_VAL_VER_REQUEST_DENIED_981_27MAR2023.pdf'; this page therefore does not claim an active CCB status.
FOR COMMUNICATION
Forest protection, VCS registration and historical VCUs do not constitute a comprehensive sustainability credential. Given the current on-hold status, any project-specific statement must also be verified for timeliness, vintage and time of use.
05 · FOR SUPPORTING COMPANIES
Historic VCUs need more context
A historic VCU requires more context today than just a serial number. The registry shows 10,060,355 issued and 7,458,182 retired VCUs. To establish a concrete corporate attribution, the time of issuance, vintage, retirement, and current project status must be documented together. Robust documentation includes at least:
Project name and Verra ID VCS981
specific quantity in t CO₂e
Vintage or monitoring period
Time of issue and acquisition of the units
Decommissioning date, serial number range and beneficiaries
On-hold status and known review reasons at the time of use
clear purpose without transfer to own emission reductions
This profile is not a recommendation to support VCS981. It documents what the register shows and what questions should be disclosed regarding existing attributions.
06 · CLASSIFICATION AND COMMUNICATION
What can be documented – and what remains open
The current project status belongs in any modern classification. It is neither concealed nor interpreted as an already finalised judgment.
CAN BE DOCUMENTED
IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNED
a Verra registry entry for VCS981 with historic issuances
that the project is currently able to issue new units without restriction
the current status "On Hold" with reference to a notification letter
the final outcome or a conclusive legal assessment of the audit
an emission reduction modeled and verified according to VM0015
a direct measurement of "saved CO₂" or certainty about the counterfactual
135.106 ha as project area in the current register
that ownership, rights of use and permits for each sub-area have been conclusively clarified
1,348,671 units as total AFOLU buffer contributions
a guarantee against deforestation, fire, leakage or other reversals
the retirement of specifically identified VCUs for a beneficiary
a reduction of own emissions, climate neutrality, or a green product label
Transparency does not mean only showing what speaks in favour of a project. It also means showing what changes its context.
07 · SOURCES AND RELEVANCE
Read registry status and public classification separately
Status and units may change. The current registry entry, the notification letter stored therein and the project documents remain decisive. External reports help to contextualise the reason for the audit, but do not replace a formal decision by Verra.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Verra Registry
VCS981 · current status, project data, documents, units and buffer contributions
VERRA
Public Comment Period
Public project page in the Verra Project Hub
PUBLIC REPORTING · MARCH 2026
Classification of the ongoing investigation
Report on Suspension, Land Rights and Continued Decommissioning of Historical Units
NATUREOFFICE
Documentation Framework
General rules for voluntary climate contributions
TEST BENCH
5 September 2026
We will provide objective answers to any questions regarding existing allocations, specific vintages or the available documentation.