The High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA)

The High Carbon Stock Approach began in 2014 as a collaborative initiative between pulp and palm oil producers and environmental and social justice NGOs to develop a methodology that would identify forests in need of protection from deforestation.

Today the HCSA is a global not-for-profit membership led organisation dedicated to stopping commodity-driven deforestation in tropical rainforest landscapes while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. Collaboration has shaped the development of the High Carbon Stock Approach both as a methodology for implementing no deforestation commitments and as a multi-stakeholder organisation.

HCSA members have an equal voice in the development of the HCSA methodology. The broad range of interests represented in its membership results in a powerful and collective impact in key sectors, including agriculture and forestry sectors that are significant drivers of tropical deforestation

Activity period	2016–present
Last CoAct update	2025
Web URL	https://highcarbonstock.org/#:~:text=The%20High%20Carbon%20Stock%20(HCS,values%20that%20may%20be%20developed.
Output effectiveness	0.65
Accountability Index	0.63
Inclusiveness Index	0.56
Capacity Index	0.78
Num. actors	11
Functions	Knowledge production, Knowledge dissemination, Technical implementation, Campaigning, Participatory management, Training, Policy planning
SDGs
Themes	land use
Policy focus	Equal focus
Sectors	Agriculture, forestry and fishing
Implementation countries	Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Uganda