Plan Vivo is about people, learning and continuous improvement. Over 15 years of operational experience, Plan Vivo has amassed a wealth of support and endorsement. Stakeholder input is crucial to the development of Plan Vivo as a practical, robust and accessible system. Stakeholders include USAID, DFID, Green Belt Movement, Wildlife Conservation Society, Clinton Development Initiative, Mercy Corps, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Rainforest Alliance, the Waterloo Foundation, the International Development Research Centre, the University of Edinburgh, A Rocha International, and many more.

Independent reviews and scrutiny

Plan Vivo is one of only two land-use standards, and one of only four voluntary standards in total, recommended by the UK government commissioned report by the Carbon Trust.  The report found that Plan Vivo meets the ‘valid’ criteria in relation to verification, additionality, leakage, impermanence and double-counting.

2012 | The Global Canopy Programme highlights Plan Vivo in the ‘Little Forest Finance Book’ as best practice both in blending social and environmental outcomes, and for its focus on community governance.

2011 | The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in an assessment of different climate adaptation strategies and approaches, found Plan Vivo to be a “viable strategy to create the conditions to attract voluntary carbon investments, contribute to mitigating climate change at the global level, while reducing rural poverty and bringing environmental benefits locally”.

2010 | the FAO’s ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ review highlights Plan Vivo as an example of how carbon sequestration through land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) can both promote sustainable rural livelihoods as well as generate verifiable carbon emissions reductions for the international community.

2010 | ENDS Report, “Carbon Offsets 2010″ describes Plan Vivo as “leading the way” amongst forest carbon standards. The report can be accessed here.

2009 | Rainforest Alliance. The 2009 Rainforest Alliance report, ‘Guidance on Coffee Carbon Project Development’ identifies the Plan Vivo Standard as one of the two most suitable standards for certifying carbon projects involving smallholder coffee producers, recognising the pioneering work done by the Mexico Plan Vivo programme, Scolel’Te in engaging coffee smallholders in forest carbon.

2008  | Forum for the Future. A DFID commissioned Forum for the Future Report, ‘Making Voluntary Markets Work for the Poor’, highlighted the Plan Vivo project, Scolel Te as an example of best practice in pro-poor carbon projects. Download the report here.

2008 | Eliasch Review. Scolel Te (Mexico flagship Plan Vivo project) and Plan Vivo were recognised in the Eliasch review as contributing to climate change mitigation and poverty reduction. The Eliasch review is a comprehensive independent analysis, commissioned by the UK Prime Minister, of how international financing can be used to prevent forest loss. Read the full report here.

Dec 2007 | ODI Report on the potential for payments for ecosystem services for tropical forests, describes Plan Vivo as a model demonstrating ‘promising pro-poor experiences, involving credible measurement, monitoring and verification procedures.’ Download report

2006 | Stern Review. HM Treasury’s seminal Stern Review on Climate Change featured the Plan Vivo project in Mozambique (N’hambita Community Carbon) as an example of the beneficial relationship between emission reduction activities from land-use and poverty reduction.