The Central African Republic has taken a new step forward in its environmental strategy by welcoming the team from AETS, which has been commissioned to structure a national forest carbon credit programme. This initiative is part of the country's commitment to promoting ambitious projects that are aligned with international commitments on sustainability and the fight against climate change.

At the heart of this collaboration, two major projects form the roadmap:
• A jurisdictional REDD+ programme dedicated to forest conservation and reducing deforestation, with a particular focus on sustainable management, biodiversity preservation and carbon sequestration;
• A reforestation and agroforestry project aimed at restoring degraded land, strengthening forest cover, improving agricultural productivity and contributing to national climate mitigation efforts.

The firm's first field mission, conducted from 13 to 16 April 2025, clarified the operational framework. The AETS teams reviewed existing data, identified necessary additions and began initial data collection in the field. This preliminary work was essential to confirm the eligibility of projects and estimate their carbon potential. Discussions with local teams and stakeholders helped to harmonise objectives, clarify expectations and strengthen understanding of the specific characteristics of the areas concerned. At the same time, the teams began mapping the main environmental and socio-economic levers associated with the two projects.  

The next mission, carried out from 14 to 25 May, gave greater scope to the work undertaken. Longer and more focused, it enabled us to finalise the methodologies, confirm the carbon potential and deepen the regulatory diagnosis in relation to the Central African Republic's international commitments. A market component was also activated. Our teams began to identify potential investors and buyers, a key step in ensuring the economic viability of the future transaction. This phase also served to refine the marketing strategy in a market where demand for high-integrity carbon credits is undergoing rapid change. In the field, analyses were intensified: site visits, interviews with local actors, consultation with stakeholders including local communities (the Aka people), and additional data collection. The objective was to obtain an accurate picture of the restoration potential, the dynamics of degradation, and the real opportunities for generating certifiable carbon credits.

Following these two successive missions, the collaboration between the Central African Republic and AETS has taken the form of an integrated approach combining ecosystem conservation, socio-economic development and environmental value creation. The foundations for a solid structure for carbon projects have now been laid, paving the way for international certification and the implementation of a sustainable development strategy.