Carbonxchange is a social enterprise established to facilitate the first certified Tree Cooperative in Timor-Leste and an online carbon trading service. The project has progressed to plan, since it began in December 2009.

The primary focus will be the establishment of a carbon exchange program that will provide the ongoing sustainability of the Carbonxchange enterprise.

Carbonxchange is not simply a project for the mitigation of climate change, but is an initiative that will promote adaptation to climate change through activities that make such practices financially viable. Carbonxchange is also a poverty reduction project.

Progress to date includes:

» Community meetings in 13 villages

» Commitment from 130 landowners, willing and able to plant trees

» Identifying a suitable nursery to propagate 20,000 mahogany saplings

» Planting of 15,000 trees in rural Baguia

» Identifying the online exchange model and technology provider.

Online carbon trading enterprise – The Carbonxchange trading circle is integral to the success of this program. The carbon credits created meet robust standards and methodologies.

The CarbonFix Standard follows the principles that projects should be ‘real, additional, measurable, permanent, independently verified, unique and have sustainable development benefits’. The use of internationally recognised standards will ensure the quality and marketability of the credits, and will also ensure that the sustainable practices learned and employed by them are of a high standard.

Income generated through Carbonxchange will be provided to the tree farmers through the Tree Cooperative. It will be up to the Tree Cooperative to determine how this is distributed.

Communities will be able to fund infrastructure such as power and water, from the ‘community infrastructure’ project funds. The administration costs required for maintaining Carbonxchange will be paid from income generated by each cooperative.

Infoxchange is sponsoring a village leader, Joao Gusmao, from Baguia, the village in East Timor where Carbonxchange is being established, to visit Australia next week. During the visit Joao will attend the Forest Stewardship Councils Asia Pac Conference on Certification and Development in Hobart. Joao will also spend some time at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne learning from school educators about their Agroforestery education program.

Infoxchange Founding Director Andrew Mahar, was interviewed on Radio National this week with Peter Heyward, Australian Ambassador to Timor Leste and Abel Guterres, Timor Leste Ambassador in Australia.

To access the broadcast, Click here

For more details about Carbonxchange, visit www.carbonxchange.net.au. You can view the sustainability video about the project at www.infoxchange.tv.