The HCSA Steering Group and Secretariat are pleased to announce the establishment of the charitable Fundación HCSA.[1]  The HCSA Foundation is based in the Netherlands and will act in the public interest to fulfil HCSA’s Purpose:

To ensure there is a practical, transparent, robust, and scientifically credible approach that is widely accepted to implement commitments to halt deforestation in the tropics while ensuring the rights, livelihoods, and aspirations of local peoples are respected.

Established in 2014, the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) is a methodology and toolkit that sets the standard approach for implementing no deforestation on-the-ground in tropical moist forest landscapes.  It is a methodology that distinguishes forest areas for protection from degraded lands with low carbon, social and biodiversity values that may be developed, whilst ensuring that the rights and livelihoods of communities and workers are respected.

The HCSA methodology can be used for integrated land use planning in any country and commodity grown in tropical moist forest landscapes^[2] and was developed through a collaboration among private sector companies in the palm oil and pulp sectors, environmental and social NGOs, and technical support organisations. The HCSA is adapting its methodology for application by independent smallholders and their support-organisations or supply chain partners. Additionally, HCSA will soon have an open-access framework technical procedure for producing high-quality indicative HCSA-HCV maps at a landscape level.

As of December 2020, close to three million hectares of HCSA assessment area was registered just over 610,000 hectares of HCS forests were identified^[3] using the HCSA methodology, and are in the process of, or have already been, set aside by companies for non-development and conservation. The HCS forest and HCV conservation and community use outcomes are reported via publicly available and independently reviewed stand-alone HCSA or HCV-HCSA assessments. The HCSA’s Global Forest Watch Pro platform will be used for monitoring the long-term maintenance of the conservation areas. 

If you are interested in supporting and/or learning more about the HCSA please contact: info@highcarbonstock.org

[1] As of 21st December 2020, the HCSA Foundation (RSIN 862017853) was classified as a Public Benefit Organisation (in Dutch it is called: Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling, (ANBI)).  The HCSA also has two subsidiaries of the foundation located in Singapore (HCS Ltd.) and Malaysia (HCS Approach Sdn. Bhd.).

[2] As of October 2020, the HCSA Toolkit has been used or trialled in 12 countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Mexico and Peru); for plantations of oil palm, pulpwood, cocoa and rubber.  See this link for more details on where the HCSA is being used and trialled.

[3] Correction, July 2021. For the latest HCSA infographic data, see https://highcarbonstock-org.red-giraffe.co.uk/communications-resources/