akar.earthARR: Definition
What is ARR (afforestation, reforestation and revegetation)? How ARR carbon projects work, VM0047 measurement, and what makes ARR viable in Indonesia.
ARR stands for afforestation, reforestation and revegetation: carbon project activities that establish, restore or increase woody vegetation on land that is not currently forest. ARR projects generate removal credits as trees and shrubs grow and absorb CO2.
Why it matters
Buyers with net-zero targets increasingly want removals, and ARR is the largest nature-based removal category. ARR also restores degraded land, supports smallholder income through timber, fruit and agroforestry, and can improve watersheds and biodiversity when designed with native species.
How ARR is measured
VM0047 v1.1 has been effective for all new Verra ARR projects since 14 May 2025. It offers two approaches:
- Area-based: remote sensing with a dynamic performance benchmark from control plots, plus field plot sampling. Suited to larger, contiguous areas.
- Census-based: counting and measuring every planted tree. Suited to smaller plantings, such as scattered smallholder trees.
Both require land eligibility evidence, a baseline, additionality, leakage and non-permanence risk assessment. Our ARR feasibility guide covers the checks, and the ARR carbon estimator gives a first estimate.
Indonesia angle
Indonesia has large areas of degraded land, Imperata grassland, abandoned ponds and smallholder farms suitable for ARR. Southeast Asian supply so far has been mostly REDD+, so high-quality removals are scarcer. The practical challenges are tenure (PBPH, social forestry, customary forests, private titles), smallholder aggregation across many small plots, survival in dry seasons and fire risk. Permenhut 6/2026 recognises communities as equal participants in forestry carbon trading, which opens routes for community ARR.
Common mistakes
- Planting on land cleared in the last 10 years.
- Using optimistic growth curves without field calibration.
- Choosing exotic monocultures with high harvest and permanence risk.
- Underestimating monitoring costs across many small plots.
- Forgetting community consent and benefit sharing, which validators check closely in Indonesian smallholder projects.
Related terms
See afforestation, VM0047 and dynamic performance benchmark, or start at the ARR hub.
Frequently asked questions
Which methodology do ARR projects use?
Under Verra, most new ARR projects use VM0047, which has been effective in version 1.1 for all projects since 14 May 2025. Gold Standard and Plan Vivo have their own requirements.
What land is eligible for ARR?
Generally land that is not currently forest and where native ecosystems have not been cleared in the 10 years before the project start. Check the methodology for exact rules.