Our approach

FROM LAND TENURE TO CARBON VALORISATION

French Polynesia holds a considerable natural heritage that is structurally prevented from generating value. TORA addresses the three obstacles simultaneously.

Obstacle 1

Land indivision, the structural lock of Polynesian tenure

In French Polynesia, 57.6% of land is held in indivision meaning collectively owned by multiple heirs without formal partition. This regime, an inheritance of local land history, prevents any individual owner from enrolling their parcel in a valorisation programme without the agreement of all co-owners.

For carbon markets, which require formal long-term management commitments, this situation makes individual participation nearly impossible. Mandate aggregation is the only viable path.

Obstacle 2

Coconut grove senescence, a fragile ecological heritage

The coconut groves of the Tuamotu are ageing without systematic renewal. Historically productive palm groves, sources of copra for atoll economies, have become senescent, reducing both their direct economic value and their carbon absorption potential.

This senescence is not irreversible: active management and planned regeneration can restore carbon storage capacity and maintain the ecosystemic functions of the atolls. This is precisely what the carbon contributions aggregated by TORA finance.

Obstacle 3

Owner isolation, a barrier to market access

Tuamotu landowners are dispersed across atolls located 300 to 1,500 km from Papeete. Accessing carbon markets alone, which require costly certifications, rigorous MRV and significant volumes, is beyond the reach of an individual owner.

TORA acts as intermediary: it aggregates volumes, bears certification costs, conducts field inventories and buyer negotiations, then redistributes revenues directly to mandate-granting owners.

TORA's competitive advantages

Two structural moats

TORA is built on two hard-to-replicate assets that create a durable defensive position.

Moat 1

OTIA, The Polynesian cadastre

OTIA (Office des Terres et de l'Infrastructure d'Accès) holds the comprehensive digital cadastre of French Polynesia: 176,072 georeferenced parcels with their property rights. TORA is positioned as the ecological and carbon valorisation layer complementary to OTIA, where OTIA identifies land, TORA valorises it.

This cadastral integration gives TORA privileged access to land data, the primary prerequisite of any carbon programme.

Moat 2

TBA, Terrain, Biology, Actors

The second moat is the field knowledge accumulated on Raraka: relationships with local landowners, biological inventory data, network of academic partners (UPF, IRD) and institutional partners. This local knowledge takes time to build and is costly to replicate.

TBA coefficients are currently being calibrated from field data (±30% uncertainty). Estimates will be refined after the Raraka field mission.

The process

From identification to redistribution

  1. 1

    Identification of eligible parcels

    Via OTIA: coconut grove parcels, verified rights, contactable owners.

  2. 2

    Mandate signing

    Mandate contract formalising the management commitment, informed consent and redistribution terms.

  3. 3

    Field inventories and MRV

    Raraka field mission, Sentinel-2 imagery, versioned carbon calculation, monitoring report.

  4. 4

    Contribution sales

    Phase 1: uncertified impact contributions. Phase 2 (2027–2028): Plan Vivo certification or equivalent.

  5. 5

    Redistribution to owners

    50–60% of net revenues paid directly, 20–30% to the conservation fund, 15–20% to operations.

The carbon contributions presented are uncertified estimates. Plan Vivo certification is targeted for 2027–2028.