Thailand Coastal Community Mangrove for Carbon Credit — DMCR/T-VER Programme

Thailand's Coastal Community Mangrove for Carbon Credit programme was launched in March 2023 by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. It uses the national T-VER (Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction) carbon standard to register coastal mangrove conservation agreements between local fishing communities and private companies.

As of the programme's first reporting period, 98 coastal communities have enrolled, registering 215,348 rai (approximately 34,456 hectares) of mangrove forest for carbon credits—against a national target of 500,000 rai (80,000 ha) by 2031. Communities enter 30-year protection agreements with private companies, receiving THB 450/rai (approximately US$78/ha) in year 1 and THB 200/rai (approximately US$35/ha) in subsequent years. Revenue is split: 70% to private companies (who market the credits), 10% to DMCR, and 20% to communities. In one documented case, a three-village conservation group in Ranong province registered 1,881 rai (301 ha), earning THB 391,875 per year plus a THB 200,000 signing bonus.

Mangroves sequester 3–5 times more carbon per hectare than equivalent tropical forest, making coastal blue carbon a cost-effective climate measure. Thailand's T-VER platform serves as the national verification standard.

Independent observers have raised concerns: the 70/20/10 revenue split limits community financial benefit; land disputes between communities and conservation authorities persist; communities face restrictions on traditional wood harvesting; and technical capacity for independent carbon verification is limited. Thailand's Climate Change Act—expected in 2024—is intended to strengthen the regulatory framework. Reporting by the Pulitzer Center's network of environmental journalists and academic researchers has highlighted these governance gaps as warranting attention before the programme scales.

Read the full analysis: https://www.dmcr.go.th