Dark side of carbon credit scheme

Losing livelihoods: People walking in the Cardamom Mountains, home to Chong Indigenous villagers, in Koh Kong province in this file pic from May 11, 2012.

INDIGENOUS people living in a protected forest say a carbon credit scheme has led to the destruction of their crops and huts, as a two-year Human Rights Watch investigation released documented forced evictions and criminal charges.

The scheme, recognised in a 2017 agreement between the environment ministry and conservation group Wildlife Alliance (WA), sees companies buy credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, with the revenue going towards preserving one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests.