Can my project retroactively credit? Expand Given the complex nature of smallholder and community land-use projects, we recognise that many projects can take longer to develop than anticipated and we do not wish to impede projects that take the time to complete appropriate stakeholder engagement and participatory processes. As such, a project’s start date may be up to 5 years prior to the date of validation. However, the project must have a strong additionality argument for any historic activities that it wishes to accredit. For more information, please see the Project Requirements and Glossary on our PV Climate documentation page.
Can we access data from the Plan Vivo Registry / Markit? Expand IHS Markit has a public view of the Plan Vivo registry which allows users to access data relating to issuances, holdings and retired credits. If more detailed data is needed, please reach out to the Plan Vivo Secretariat with the nature of your query.
Can we form a partnership? Expand The most common form of partnership is those with: Projects, through a certification process under a Standard or programme; Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs) or Independent Experts (IEs) for auditing purposes; a Resellers or corporate end buyers who desire accounts on the Plan Vivo registry. For organisations wanting an alternative partnership, please contact [email protected] so we can explore further if there are any mutually-beneficial opportunities.
Does Plan Vivo require corresponding adjustments? Expand As national legislation and implementation aimed at operationalising Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is an ongoing process in many countries in which Plan Vivo projects operate, Plan Vivo does not currently require corresponding adjustments as a default. Plan Vivo reviews national regulatory frameworks on a case-by-case basis. If a country requires corresponding adjustments, Plan Vivo will adhere to national legislation and either label or retire PVCs on national registries, when they’re available.
Does Plan Vivo sell PVCs? Expand Plan Vivo is a Standards body and is therefore not directly involved in the sales of PVCs.
Does Plan Vivo work with blue carbon projects? Expand ‘Blue carbon’ refers to the carbon stored in marine and coastal ecosystems, namely mangroves, seagrass and saltmarsh. We currently work with three certified mangrove projects, and are also developing a new blue carbon methodology focusing initially on the quantification of carbon in mangrove forests. The methodology will also include seagrass ecosystems as development continues. Other blue carbon ecosystems (e.g. kelp or other macroalgae) are not currently eligible.
Does Plan Vivo work with energy projects? Expand Plan Vivo does not certify energy-production or energy-efficiency projects, including clean cookstove projects. Plan Vivo only certifies land-use / AFOLU / LULUCF projects.
How are risks to double counting minimised? Expand All PVCs generated are allocated their own serial number and are listed on the Plan Vivo Registry. Each PVC can only be retired once and be allocated one beneficial owner. The registry is managed by a third party, IHS Markit (a part of S&P Global). Projects must also take steps to identify and prevent overlap with other GHG reducing projects or national, jurisdictional, or sub-national programmes, so prevent carbon benefits being claimed under multiple projects and/or programmes. Finally, Plan Vivo is currently working with selected meta registry developers to ensure that PVCs are represented in this emerging space that should help better identify potential areas over credit and claims overlap. The Standard will adapt and evolve over time to continue to minimise risks to double counting.
How are risks to leakage minimised? Expand Project coordinators must work directly with representatives of all local stakeholders in the development of project interventions and in defining the project logic. This project logic must include risk mitigation measures for leakage. All methodologies must include a mechanism for account for the expected leakage impact and make deductions on the carbon benefits accordingly. In addition to this, where possible, leakage risk mitigation measures must be implemented to reduce the potential for leakage. These are then reviewed by the Technical Review Panel (TRP), and Validation and Verification Body (VVB) or Independent Expert (IE) (depending on the review process taken). The Standard will adapt and evolve over time to continue to minimise risks to leakage.
How are risks to permanence minimised? Expand Project coordinators must work directly with representatives of all local stakeholders in the development of project interventions and in defining the project logic. This method of design is built into several areas of Plan Vivo and encourages the creation of project interventions that produce long-term benefits for project participants, thereby minimising the incentives for reversals of carbon benefits. The project logic must also include risk mitigation measures for reversals, and risks to the maintenance of the carbon benefits for a period of at least 50-years must be identified and significant risks must be mitigated. These are identified through a risk assessment which is then reviewed by the Secretariat, Technical Review Panel (TRP), and Validation and Verification Body (VVB) or Independent Expert (IE) (depending on the review process taken). These risks must be reassessed every 10 years throughout the project period. Finally, projects must contribute 20% of their carbon benefits to the risk buffer. This is a pool of vPVCs that are left unsold as insurance against the risk of reversal of carbon benefits. For more information on the scenarios in which the risk buffer can be accessed, please see the Procedures Manual on our PV Climate documentation page. The Standard will adapt and evolve over time to continue to minimise risks to permanence.
How can I find upfront funding? Expand Plan Vivo does not provide upfront funding for projects. Funding to support project development can come in multiple forms: Investor finance – Finance for exclusivity rights on the PVCs generated after project registration. The investor will then either use these PVCs for their own emissions reporting, or to sell on to end buyers. Grant funding – Philanthropic finance with no requirement for repayment. Financial borrowing – Receiving income from a lender with stipulated interest and repayment schedules. The Project Development Guidance Manual provides a non-exhaustive list of potential investors and grant funders. Plan Vivo cannot otherwise help source funding for projects.
How can I see how the projects have estimated their carbon benefits? Expand All PV Climate projects submit their carbon models in their Technical Specifications which may be found in the main body of the PDD or as annexes submitted with the PDD. These outline how the carbon benefits have been estimated which, combined with the monitoring data provided in annual reports, can allow a third party to recalculate the project’s carbon benefits. While the secretariat publishes all final versions of the PDD on project pages, excel spreadsheet annexes may not be uploaded in an endeavour to keep published documents centralised to the PDD. If the models are not accessible as part of the document presented on the website, you may wish to contact the Plan Vivo secretariat with an information request.
How do Acorn projects differ from other PV Climate projects? Expand A list of the key differences between Acorn and PV Climate projects is provided below: Attribute Acorn project PV Climate project Intervention types Smallholder Agroforestry only Most nature-based interventions (land or marine) Projects certified against Acorn Framework and Methodology PV Climate Project Requirements, Validation and Verification Requirements, and the applied methodology Certificates generated CRUs – Ex-post certificates Represent CO2 removals fPVCs – Ex-ante certificates (non-retireable) rPVCs – Ex-post certificates (non-retireable) vPVCs – Ex-post verified certificates Can represent removals or reduction of CO2 Project coordinator Rabobank and local partner organisation(s) Local partner organisation(s) Certificate Seller Rabobank Local partner organisation Auditing Projects sample validation and verification using a Plan Vivo-approved sampling strategy All projects validated and verified Benefit sharing At least 80% of income from CRU sales to local farmers At least 60% of income from PVC sales to project participants Registry Acorn Registry Plan Vivo Registry
How do I know if my project will be eligible? Expand Projects must comply with The PV Climate Standard to be registered. The core document to consider is the latest version of the Project Requirements document, which outlines different types of features that a project must have related to, as examples, intervention type, governance structure, and land rights. However, we would also recommend reading the other key documentation associated with the Standard, all of which is available on the Standard documents webpage. Projects must also apply a methodology for quantification, monitoring and verification of carbon benefits. Methodologies come with applicability conditions so it is recommended that an appropriate methodology is located for your project’s planned interventions. If you believe that your intervention is compliant with the Project Requirements yet there is no methodology available, please contact [email protected] for advice.
How do I know which projects have PVCs available? Expand There are two sources of data on PVC availability that can be readily accessed. Their locations and limitations are as follows: The project’s latest annual report, in which the project gives an overview of how many PVCs they have recently issued and how many are available for sale. However, this data becomes less accurate as the length of time from report submission increases. The project’s ‘holdings’ on the Plan Vivo Registry, which indicates all active (not yet retired) PVCs in the project’s account. However, this number may include PVCs that have been already sold to a buyer but not yet retired. The most accurate method for determining the number of PVCs available is to directly contact the project coordinator.
How do projects safeguard against environmental or social harm? Expand The Project Requirements includes a section for environmental and social risk management. Furthermore, Plan Vivo requires all projects to comply with the Environmental and Social Risk Management Procedures which requires projects to complete a screening of potential environmental and social risks at PIN and PDD stage. It also requires them to design an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) based on avoiding, minimising, mitigating or managing risks.
How is additionality ensured? Expand All methodologies must include procedures for assessing the additionality of the project interventions. In addition to this, projects must complete a barrier analysis as part of their Project Design Document (PDD). These assessments are reviewed by the Secretariat, Technical Review Panel (TRP), and Validation and Verification Body (VVB) or Independent Expert (IE) (depending on the review process taken) to ensure that they align with the project’s described baseline scenario and project logic, and align with what is visible in the project area. Additionality must be reassessed by projects every 10 years throughout the project period. The Standard will adapt and evolve over time to continue to minimise risks to additionality.
How is Plan Vivo financed? Expand The Plan Vivo Foundation is a non-profit organisation, registered as a Charity in Scotland (Charity number SC040151). We are financed primarily through a mixture of grant funding and fees associated with project certification processes. We are transparent about our finances with summaries published on an annual basis.
How long does registration take? Expand The length of time from PIN submission to registration varies between projects. This often ranges around 1 to 2 years (assuming no significant obstructions) and is influenced by project developer capacity and past experience, complexity of a project (influences extent of documentation submitted), speed of resolving feedback, and availability of auditors. Indicative timeframes are provided in the Procedures Manual for stages that the Plan Vivo Secretariat can control.
How much do PVCs sell for? And what influences their price? Expand We recommend looking for average pricing in the State of the Voluntary Carbon Market reports, completed by the third-party Ecosystem Marketplace. These provide an estimate for the average Price of a PVC, but this value can be influenced by many factors: Project size – Smaller projects can be more selective of buyers and therefore demand a higher price. Selling to end buyers – Selling at retail price to end buyers typically demands higher prices than selling in bulk at wholesale prices to resellers. Intervention type – PVCs from some interventions (e.g. blue carbon) are typically in greater demand than others. Buyer interests – Buyers are willing to pay more for projects that align with their values and/or interests. This may be related to the project’s location, intervention, co-benefits etc. Up-front financing and exclusivity – Upfront financing can provide financial security for the project but is riskier for the investor and so often results in lower PVC pricing and requirements of exclusivity. Marketing strategy – Projects can vary in the level of resourcing they allocate to their marketing strategy, which can influence the demand for their PVCs.
How much does registration cost? Expand There are three areas of cost associated with registering a project: Project development costs – Resources necessary for a developer to pay internal staff and (if applicable) external contractors to design the project and create the necessary documentation. These costs should be estimated by the project developer. Plan Vivo Foundation costs – Fees associated with the review process that are directly payable to the Plan Vivo Foundation. These can be found on our costs and fees webpage. External auditor costs – Fees associated with paying a Validation and Verification Body (VVB) or Independent Expert (IE) to validate the project (depending on whether a project is macroscale or microscale). For VVBs, this can typically range between $15,000 and $25,000 depending on VVB, project size and location. IE fees are more varied but typically lower than a VVB. After registration, a project should consider the ongoing fees associated with project coordination, PVC issuance and verification events. More information is provided in the Procedures Manual and costs and fees webpage.
How soon can I generate PVCs? Expand After a project has registered, the length of time taken to generate its first PVCs varies based on the PVC type generated, the project’s reporting periods and (for vPVCs) the project's verification period: fPVCs and/or rPVCs – Generated based on the submission and approval of annual reports. The first annual report can be submitted after the first reporting period has passed and the monitoring data for this reporting period has been collected. The first reporting period may have already taken place at by the time of registration or may yet to have started. vPVCs – Generated after the first successful verification following at least one approved annual report. Indicative timeframes are provided in the Procedures Manual for stages that the Plan Vivo Secretariat can control.
Is there a minimum viable project size Expand There is no universal minimum viable project size. Factors affecting financial feasibility of a project include: Income: Carbon potential of activities (PVCs per ha) Size of the project area Expected price per PVC generated Expenses Staff resources Reliance on external capacity for project development Registration and ongoing certification costs We recommend project developers to complete financial feasibility assessments to understand if their project is feasible. If needed, there are external organisations who offer support services for feasibility assessments.
What are the main reasons why pipeline projects do not eventually register? Expand Some common reasons that projects fail to certify under Plan Vivo include: Financial barriers Lack of technical capacity Lack of community support Restrictions around carbon or ecosystem service trading within the host country Inappropriate project activities Some lesser barriers that have been observed include: Poor additionality argument Poor permanence argument Inappropriate land tenure Project not financially feasible Plan Vivo is currently developing an Incubator Hub and Community Project Accelerator Hub to help projects overcome barriers to registration and scaling.