Climate Impact
Our core impact pillar, all projects that remove or reduce carbon in the atmosphere contribute to long term climate resiliency. Our projects have only just started to issue credits, but our current portfolio will remove nearly 8 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere throughout the projects' lifetimes.
*This figure is used to describe the total portfolio credits issued in 2023. Credits and Tonnes of CO2e used interchangeably. †Projected numbers are based on information provided by Catona's project partners.
Regenerative Grasslands Project
In 2023, Native’s Northern Great Plains Regenerative Grasslands project completed verification and issued credits for its first vintage. The project’s climate impact so far is the removal of over 56,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through the deposition of soil organic carbon in managed rangelands in Montana.
‡ This figure is used to describe the total credits issued for this project, not just Catona’s investment
The Science of
Regenerative Agriculture
By treating agricultural landscapes as natural ecosystems, soils regain their ability to store carbon as well as to hold water and support healthy and productive plant growth.
𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝟬𝟲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 Regenerative principles include minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining ground cover, and increasing the natural cycling of organic matter into the soil. Regenerative principles can be followed in diverse agricultural settings, from row crops and agroforestry to grazing systems.
𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝟬𝟳: 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. Montana grassland productivity. The graph shows 16-day production rate over a subsection of Montana in 2023 (purple) with reference to long-term averages. The vegetation biomass data and maps from RAP are intended to be used alongside local knowledge and on-the-ground data to inform management actions that improve rangelands and wildlife habitats.⁵
Rangeland Forage Productivity
Rangelands cover approximately 30% (or 770 million acres)4 of the USA.
Ranchers rely on the growth and productivity of grasses for their livelihoods and livestock health. Measuring forage growth, groundcover, and determining stocking rate (number of animals that a pasture can support) is critically important to planned grazing.
GIS tools can help provide data to inform ranchers' decisions and also help partners and supporters outside of the ranching world — like Catona — better understand grassland management from afar. Using data from the USDA-ARS Rangeland Analysis Platform5 we can access 16 day estimates of herbaceous production and stocking rate. This is an example of the types of tools and sophisticated data that can help ranchers measure changes in pasture productive as they adapt management practices. While not used for carbon calculations, access to this type of sophisticated data can help ranchers evaluate whether their pasture productivity is increasing as expected through regenerative practices.
𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝟬𝟴: 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟭𝟵𝟬𝟬 - 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟰 Montana’s average winter and summer temperatures are increasing. Looking ahead into the future analysis of observed (black) and future temperature trends from CMIP6 predict this trend to continue, making it even more important that lands in Montana build climate resiliency.⁶
Building Climate Resiliency
Improved land management projects such as the Northern Great Plains (NGP) grasslands not only have near-term climate impact through carbon removals, but also build future climate resiliency. Regenerative grazing restores soil ecosystem function, and makes lands more resilient to drought and other disturbances.
We know that both working lands and native ecosystems will be subject to more climate shocks and extreme weather over time, making this resiliency more pressing. In Montana, as seen in Figure 08, observed summer and winter temperatures are measurably increasing over time.
For the Climate
and Beyond
Restored Ecosystems
Contributions to the The Northern Great Plains Regenerative Grazing Project have provided timely funding for critical upgrades to water and fence improvements for numerous ranches in Montana.
Soil Health
Infrastructure Upgrades
Improved Grazing Practices
The ranchers using these funds are leading a strong movement toward improved grazing practices that make the ranches more viable economically while enhancing soil health and biological stability.