Mangrove & blue carbonActive

Papariko

Papariko is Kenya's first registered blue carbon project and, per the developer, the world's first to meet Verra VCS, CCB and SD VISta together. It targets 1,500 ha of degraded mangrove across Kwale, Kilifi and Tana River Counties, with 15,000+ ha identified for later expansion. The developer states a removal capacity of roughly 1,136,194 tCO2 over the crediting period.

Kwale, Kilifi and Tana River Counties, KenyaCoastal mangroveVerra VCS 3660 (AR-AM0014), registered 2025; CCB and SD VISta developer-stated
Image credit
Lebu Ayiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsImage source ↗
OperatorVlinder
EcosystemCoastal mangrove
StandardVerra VCS 3660 (AR-AM0014), registered 2025; CCB and SD VISta developer-stated
StatusActive
LocationKwale, Kilifi and Tana River Counties, Kenya
Overview

Inside the project

The project restores degraded mangrove in three coastal Kenyan counties, implemented over 2022 to 2027. It is developed by Vlinder alongside the Kenya Forest Service and local partner Umita.

Restoration is paired with community livelihoods including agroforestry, beekeeping and ecotourism, structured through community co-design.

The triple standard (VCS for carbon, CCB for community and biodiversity co-benefits, SD VISta for sustainable development) is a developer-stated first for a blue carbon project.

Verra's registry lists Papariko (VCS 3660, proponent Vlinder Austria) as registered on 14 February 2025 under methodology AR-AM0014, with a crediting period from 2022 to 2052. The developer had expected first credits in March 2026; the registry showed none issued as of September 2026.

1,500 ha
Degraded mangrove targeted
1,136,194 tCO2
Developer-stated removal capacity
15,000+ ha
Identified for expansion

Objectives

  • Restore 1,500 ha of degraded mangrove with a path to 15,000+ ha of identified expansion area
  • Deliver community co-benefits via agroforestry, beekeeping and ecotourism livelihoods
  • Issue verified removals against a developer-stated capacity of ~1,136,194 tCO2
  • Maintain community co-design and shared governance across the three counties
  • Apply digital MRV including drone assessment and eDNA monitoring

Approach

  • The project combines assisted mangrove restoration with community livelihood streams under a co-design model. Monitoring uses digital MRV, including drone-based assessment and eDNA sampling, with verification against Verra VCS, CCB and SD VISta.
  • Credits are expected from March 2026, with implementation running 2022 to 2027.

Published documents

Publisher's own programme report: Papariko project page →Monitoring report: Papariko, restoration of degraded mangrove areas in Kenya, Verra registry page (VCS 3660) →

Sources

Inspect 2 sources
  1. vlinderclimate.com ↗https://vlinderclimate.com/vlinder-kenya-blue-carbon
  2. registry.verra.org ↗https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/3660

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