Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Carbon credits · Brazil · 2023–2026

Pará forest carbon credit schemes face suspension and lawsuits

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured · 4 unclear See the gaps

Verra suspended three Portel credit schemes in 2023 over overlap with public land, and a 2024 state deal to sell 12 million forest credits faces a federal lawsuit. Prosecutors also say Indigenous and quilombola consultations were squeezed into 3 to 5 days.

What?
Forest carbon credit schemes in Pará were suspended over public-land overlap, and a 12-million-credit state deal faces a federal lawsuit.
Where?
Portel municipality and Pará state, Brazil Ministério Público Federal (MPF), Pará
When?
July 2023 to August 2026 Ministério Público Federal (MPF), Pará
Who?
Gained
  • Buyers of Portel credits, including Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol — bought credits from schemes later suspended
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • About 1,484 families in five farm settlements — affected by the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme, according to the public attorney's suit
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Credits from REDD+ schemes on public land were suspended and sold to corporate buyers; the state's forward sale to LEAF was challenged over consultation. Over 2 million credits from the suspended Pacajaí scheme were used by more than 140 companies from January 2024 to July 2025.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

In July 2023 Pará's public attorney's office sued over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel, which affected about 1,484 families across five farm settlements.

Verra suspended three Portel schemes in September 2023 for overlapping public land; they had sold more than 23 million credits, including to Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol.

In September 2024 Pará signed a preliminary deal with the LEAF Coalition to sell 12 million credits at $15 each, $180 million in total for 2023 to 2026; federal prosecutors sued to annul it in June 2025.

In August 2026 federal prosecutors wrote to the state that Indigenous and quilombola consultations had been squeezed into 3 to 5 days and that The Nature Conservancy had a conflict of interest.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    1. Outcome not on record
      Federal Public Prosecutor's Office v. Federal Government, State of Pará and CAAP International
      Not stated in the sources reviewed · Civil · Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) → Federal Government, State of Pará, CAAP International

      The Climate Case Chart lists a claim for 200 million reais in moral damages over a carbon credit contract in Pará. The sources reviewed give no ruling. Climate Case Chart

    2. 2025-06–Outcome not on record
      Federal prosecutors' suit to annul the Pará and LEAF Coalition agreement
      Not stated in the sources reviewed · Civil · Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) → Not stated in the sources reviewed

      Federal prosecutors sued in June 2025 to annul the 2024 preliminary agreement between Pará and the LEAF Coalition. The sources reviewed give no ruling.

    3. 2023-07–Outcome not on record
      Public attorney's suit over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel
      Not stated in the sources reviewed · Civil · Pará public attorney's office → Not stated in the sources reviewed

      The suit concerned the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel, where about 1,484 families in five farm settlements were affected. The sources reviewed give no ruling.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Court

    • Unclear Federal Public Prosecutor's Office v. Federal Government, State of Pará and CAAP International: outcome not on record.
    • Unclear Federal prosecutors' suit to annul the Pará and LEAF Coalition agreement: outcome not on record.
    • Unclear Public attorney's suit over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel: outcome not on record.

    Record

    • Unclear Whether Verra's 2023 suspensions have been lifted was not found in the sources reviewed.
    • None on record The outcomes of the 2023 public attorney's suit and the 2025 suit to annul the LEAF deal were not found.
    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: the 200 million reais moral damages claim is listed by Climate Case Chart; no court record was reviewed.
    • None on record Revenue earned by Pará state or by the schemes is not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
    Terms used on this page

    Carbon and conservation finance

    Buffer pool
    A reserve of credits held back from sale by a carbon programme to cover future losses, such as forest burned or logged after credits were issued. It works as the programme's own insurance.
    Carbon credit
    A certificate representing one tonne of carbon dioxide (or equivalent) that a project says it reduced, avoided or removed. Buyers use credits to balance their own emissions in climate claims.
    REDD+
    Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. A UN framework under which forest projects earn carbon credits for deforestation they say they prevented, measured against a projected baseline.
    Standard-setter and registry
    An organisation that writes the rules for carbon credits, approves projects, and records when credits are issued and retired. Such bodies typically charge fees per credit.

    Places and local terms

    Conservancy (Kenya)
    In Kenya, land managed by a community or private owners for wildlife alongside grazing, often with outside partners.
    Similar cases
    Carbon credits · Brazil · 2025–2026
    Brazilian court fines Sigma Lithium over blast damage in Jequitinhonha valley
    Same type: Carbon creditsSame countryCourt: outcome not on record