Grassland conservation and avoided conversion projects are an emissions-reduction project type within the land & forests segment of the carbon market. They are designed to prevent conversion of grasslands and protect belowground carbon stocks. The carbon benefit comes from avoided soil-carbon loss and avoided emissions from land conversion. Common project configurations include Conservation easements or land-use restrictions that prevent cultivation.

Grassland credits can be overlooked, even though intact grasslands often store significant carbon below ground and support high biodiversity value. These projects can protect large carbon stocks and important ecosystems, but their credibility depends heavily on baseline setting, leakage control, permanence, and the strength of social and land-rights safeguards. For buyers and program designers, the most important diligence questions are: Is conversion pressure real and evidenced? Are leakage and future land-use shifts addressed?