Aranya Reforestation

~10Mnative trees planned

~3MtCO₂e removals expected

VM0047India's 1st

India

Map view centered on the Middle East and South Asia with a focus marker in the Gulf region.

Two people with colorful bangles are working together to plant or dig in rich brown soil, hands gripping a wet trowel and rock, small green plants nearby.

Several people in a field plant young saplings, kneeling and placing saplings into dug soil with bags of soil nearby, greenery and hills in the background.

Bringing trees and opportunity back to the land.

For restoration to last, it must create long-term value for the people who care for the land. Project Aranya helps farmers in Madhya Pradesh build productive agroforestry systems that generate value through fruit and silk product alongside carbon removals. This in turn transforms degraded land into an asset that supports future generations.

Through long-term carbon finance, farmers receive planting materials and support. Productive trees can generate income while restoring landscapes, improving water resilience and storing carbon over the long term.

Two women in colorful traditional clothing plant a young tree sapling together in a field, one holding the root ball while the other steadies the stem.

Building future carbon removal supply.

Large-scale nature-based removals typically take years to develop, plant, monitor and verify. Aranya has a head start, with early development and planting work completed and the main program moving into scaled delivery.

Funding native-tree agroforestry, farmer support and the systems needed to deliver durable removals over time helps farmers make a long-term commitment to productive agroforestry on their own land.

The project follows the VM0047 methodology and CCP aligned credits are expected to be available from 2030-2050. It also aims to be Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) certified and forward offtake agreements are available today, making it attractive to organizations looking to secure high-quality removals as they progress towards their net zero targets.

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From identifying the challenge to creating impact.

Man with head wrap digging into red soil with a shovel in a green field, using a two-handed motion while crouching among plants and dirt mounds.

Challenge

Traditional tree-planting projects often struggle when farmers see little long-term value from keeping trees alive. Limited water availability, unpredictable rainfall and the competing demands of food production mean trees can easily be neglected once planting is complete. For restoration to succeed over decades, farmers need a lasting reason to protect and invest in the landscape.

Solution

Aranya works with farmers to establish productive agroforestry systems that combine carbon removal with long-term economic value. Fruit agroforestry integrates Kesar mango, citrus and native fruit trees alongside existing crops, while Tasar silk production uses Arjuna and Gmelina trees to create an additional income stream from underused land. Selected farmers receive support with water harvesting, drip irrigation, climate-smart agriculture and soil management, helping trees establish successfully while improving the productivity of the land. The model is designed to make living trees more valuable than clearing them.

Impact

Aranya is designed around a simple principle: restoration lasts when farmers benefit from it. Lessons from the early planting phase helped shape a lower-risk model built around productive agroforestry, stronger tree survival and long-term farmer participation. By linking carbon removals with fruit production, silk income and more resilient land management, the project aims to restore degraded landscapes, diversify rural livelihoods and deliver durable carbon removals over the long term.

Challenge: Traditional tree-planting projects often struggle when farmers see little long-term value from keeping trees alive. Limited water availability, unpredictable rainfall and the competing demands of food production mean trees can easily be neglected once planting is complete. For restoration to succeed over decades, farmers need a lasting reason to protect and invest in the landscape.
Solution: Aranya works with farmers to establish productive agroforestry systems that combine carbon removal with long-term economic value. Fruit agroforestry integrates Kesar mango, citrus and native fruit trees alongside existing crops, while Tasar silk production uses Arjuna and Gmelina trees to create an additional income stream from underused land. Selected farmers receive support with water harvesting, drip irrigation, climate-smart agriculture and soil management, helping trees establish successfully while improving the productivity of the land. The model is designed to make living trees more valuable than clearing them.
Impact: Aranya is designed around a simple principle: restoration lasts when farmers benefit from it. Lessons from the early planting phase helped shape a lower-risk model built around productive agroforestry, stronger tree survival and long-term farmer participation. By linking carbon removals with fruit production, silk income and more resilient land management, the project aims to restore degraded landscapes, diversify rural livelihoods and deliver durable carbon removals over the long term.

Small seedling with green leaves being watered, droplets splashing off the leaves as a fine stream hits the plant, soil dark and clumpy in the background.

Circular holes dug in a grassy field with exposed brown soil, scattered across gently sloped ground, bordered by a distant tree line and a low fence.

A group of rural villagers sits in a semicircle on the ground and a wooden bench in a field, listening to a man in traditional clothing speak.

Northern spotted owl perched on branch, facing camera with bright yellow eyes, mottled brown and white plumage, surrounded by green leaves and branches

Growing trees. Building lasting value.

Aranya is designed so that climate impact and farmer value reinforce one another. Productive trees, water infrastructure and practical support help create the conditions for durable carbon removal and more resilient rural livelihoods.

10 million native trees planned

Restoring degraded land through productive agroforestry.

3 million tonnes of CO₂ expected to be removed

Creating long-term nature-based carbon removals.

More resilient livelihoods

Supporting income through fruit production, Tasar silk and diversified agroforestry systems.

Water and farming support

Using water harvesting, drip irrigation and climate-smart practices to support tree survival and more resilient production.

Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Aranya brings together carbon removal, land restoration and new livelihood opportunities for participating farmers, contributing to several UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Close-up of a coffee plant with clusters of green and red coffee cherries along woody branches, set among dark green glossy leaves.

SDG 1: No Poverty

Creating income opportunities through fruit production, Tasar silk, project employment and farmers’ participation in the value created by carbon removals.

Underwater scene with turquoise water, air bubbles rising toward the surface, and a hazy, dotted depth below.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Using water harvesting, storage and drip-irrigation systems to conserve water and support tree establishment.

Vivid green leaves with glossy surfaces and prominent veins, dense shrubbery with light catching on new growth, dark background creating a lush, tropical feel.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Creating work linked to nurseries, planting, maintenance, harvesting and agroforestry value chains.

Soft pastel sunset sky with gradient tones of peach, pink, and purple, faint distant horizon near the bottom with wispy clouds.

SDG 13: Climate Action

Removing carbon from the atmosphere through native-tree afforestation, reforestation and agroforestry.

Aerial view of a dense forest with vibrant green trees and a few standing dead trees scattered among the canopy, sunlight highlighting treetops.

SDG 15: Life on Land

Restoring degraded and low-productivity land with native species while creating new habitat and improving landscape resilience.

A group of silhouetted seabirds flying across a pastel sunset sky with soft pink and orange hues and wispy clouds.

Designed, tested and developed by Climate Impact Partners

Aranya was developed by Climate Impact Partners through an evidence-led development process that tested planting models, land eligibility, seedling supply, farmer preferences and delivery at real scale. Approximately 1.2 million trees were planted during the early phase, generating practical lessons that shaped the current program.

Those lessons informed a lower-risk private-land agroforestry model built around productive native trees, multiple specialist implementation partners and closer operational oversight. The approach is designed to strengthen tree survival, long-term farmer participation and permanence by making living trees economically valuable to the people who manage them.

Climate Impact Partners continues to oversee the project through an expanded in-country team and a standardized operational and due-diligence framework. This combines technical development with practical delivery oversight, helping identify issues early and support reliable long-term carbon removal.

Support this project How we ensure quality

Hands releasing soil over a young sapling in a field, soil falling as the plant is being planted, with a fabric bag nearby and a blurred green background.

Designed, tested and developed by Climate Impact Partners

Project developer: Climate Impact Partners
Registry: Verra VCS
Project ID: VCS 4811
Methodology: VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation
Standard: VCS Standard
Project model: Private-land fruit and Tasar silk agroforestry
Implementation: Multiple specialist implementation partners under direct CIP oversight
Operational oversight: Standardized CIP due diligence across approximately 150 checkpoints and six workstreams
Independent rating: BeZero A, ex-ante and provisional
Validate: Current validation and verification body