Oxygen Conservation is proud to announce that its Invergeldie Estate Woodland Creation project has been assigned a BeZero Carbon ex ante Rating of AApre with low execution risk, placing it among the highest-rated afforestation, reforestation and restoration (ARR) projects in the world.
The rating is one of the strongest BeZero has assigned to a nature-based project and is the first AA-level rating awarded to a UK Woodland Carbon Code project. It provides powerful independent validation of the project’s environmental integrity, long-term resilience and carbon delivery potential.
According to BeZero’s analysis, fewer than 4% of ARR ex post projects assessed worldwide have achieved an AA rating, reflecting the exceptionally high standards required to reach this level.
The Invergeldie Estate Woodland Creation project forms part of Oxygen Conservation’s wider mission to Scale Conservation through landscape-scale restoration. Located in Perthshire, the project will establish approximately 2500 acres of native woodland, connecting existing upland and riparian habitats across the estate whilst generating more than 350,000 tonnes of premium-quality carbon removals over a 100-year commitment period.
The project is supported by Oxygen Conservation’s proprietary Intelligence platform, which provides detailed digital monitoring of restoration outcomes and carbon performance. The platform models all 1.5 million trees within the project, giving buyers an unprecedented level of transparency over carbon delivery and ecological outcomes, and strengthening the evidence base behind the rating.
BeZero’s assessment found that Invergeldie scored exceptionally highly across the key measures used to assess carbon credit quality. The rating reflects the project’s strong environmental foundations, including careful habitat design, low-impact planting methods, robust carbon monitoring and verification, secure long-term land management, low wildlife risk and a long-term commitment to stewardship.
BeZero Carbon’s ex ante rating report explains that credits rated AA.pre carry a very high likelihood of achieving one tonne of CO₂e avoidance or removal. According to the report, the rating “is driven by the project’s highest score for additionality, with very high scores for carbon accounting and permanence.“
The rating comes as voluntary carbon markets undergo rapid professionalisation. Buyers increasingly focus on quality, transparency and credibility rather than volume alone. As scrutiny of carbon markets intensifies, independent ratings are becoming an increasingly important benchmark for corporates, investors and institutions seeking confidence that projects will deliver the climate outcomes they promise.
Chris Winter, Director of Natural Capital at Oxygen Conservation, said:
“More broadly, this rating demonstrates that nature-based carbon credits can sit amongst the highest-quality carbon credits in the world, alongside engineered removals. It also highlights how far the voluntary carbon market has matured. Independent ratings agencies are helping buyers better understand project risk and differentiate between projects based on quality and delivery confidence. As a result, we are seeing the market increasingly restructure around quality rather than volume, with capital flowing towards the projects capable of delivering the strongest and most credible climate outcomes.”
The Invergeldie rating further strengthens Oxygen Conservation’s position as a leader in the UK’s natural capital market. Since 2021, the company has built a natural capital portfolio exceeding more than 50,000 acres of land across the UK, combining large-scale ecological restoration with institutional-grade investment opportunities. The business has consistently championed the premiumisation of natural capital products, demonstrating that high-integrity carbon credits delivering meaningful biodiversity and social outcomes can command premium pricing.
Media enquiries:
Abbey Dudas, Marketing Manager
abbey.dudas@oxygenconservation.com
+447438829439