1. Start date How old can a PV Climate project be? Expand Typically, a prospective project will not yet be operational and will use the PV Climate from the outset. However, it is possible for a project that is already operational to become an approved PV Climate project, provided it can meet the requirements of PV Climate v5.0. In such instances, retroactive crediting is possible for up to three years prior to beginning the registration process with Plan Vivo, provided that there is a strong argument for additionality and it can be evidenced that the project always intended to become carbon certified and generate carbon credits.
1. Start Date How old can the project be? Expand A prospective project can already be operational. However, the demonstration of additionality and quantification of a new baseline(s) will be required under PV Nature and the PV Nature Methodology. No retroactive crediting is permissible.
10. Leakage Expand Project activities must balance the reduction in income from newly-imposed restrictions. From project interventions which reduce agricultural productivity or access to timber, livestock grazing or other forms of resource, potentially leading to emissions being generated or removals being reduced. The risk of leakage can be reduced by implementing activities to increase productivity and/or provide alternative sources of income which don’t contribute to the leakage. Avoiding leakage can be achieved by increasing productivity and/or income by a minimum of an equal amount to any decreases that result from controls on agricultural practices, livestock grazing, timber harvesting or other resource use activities which have the potential to cause leakage. It is far better to prevent leakage where possible, but if this is not an option, it must be estimated and/or monitored using an approved approach, so it can be subtracted from the carbon benefits. This involves identifying all project activities and stakeholder groups with the potential to cause leakage, and a description of mitigating measures to reduce likelihood. For project activity where direct monitoring of leakage is not feasible, leakage emissions can be estimated, based on the assumption that any reduction in productivity or income that results from project activities which is not mitigated, will result in leakage. The amount of leakage assumed should be equal to that required to result in a no net-loss of productivity or income as a result of project activities. If the areas that are likely to be affected by leakage are unclear, the worst-case scenario should be assumed. Your PDD should include: A description is required for each project activity which has the potential to cause leakage. This should include a description of the leakage mitigation measures to be implemented, and an estimate of potential leakage emissions, with details of how they were estimated and justification of any assumptions used. A justification for any project activities that claim not to cause leakage.
11. Data sources Expand Approved approaches require the use of data and assumptions to estimate emissions and removals from the baseline scenario and project interventions. Potential data sources include: Surveys or research conducted within the project area or other representative areas Analysis of maps and remote sending data Published and unpublished papers and reports from the region Default values from national or global studies. Data sources used must contribute to a credible and conservative estimation of climate benefits, and projects are encouraged to make use of available sources of information where possible, to reduce the cost of data collection, and increase the speed of approval. Where appropriate data is not available, or the cost of data collection is prohibitive, conservative assumptions can be used. All assumptions and sources of data must be identified within the PDD. A justification of why they are appropriate should be provided: For the baselines scenario (PDD Section G4) For the project intervention (PDD Section G5) For leakage (PDD Section G6) For projects who conducted their own surveys, research or mapping, full details of data collection and analysis methodologies and results must be included in the PDD Annex.
12. Uncertainty Expand All estimates of emission reductions and removals have some uncertainty associated with them. In some cases, it will be possible to quantify this uncertainty. Estimates of climate benefits with high levels of uncertainty are unlikely to be credible unless projects can demonstrate why the estimates are conservative. Within PDD section G6, PV Climate projects are therefore required to: Identify the main sources of uncertainty in estimates of climate benefits Quantify these where possible Describe why the treatment of uncertainty contributes to a conservative estimate of climate benefits.
2. Participants Who can benefit from a PV Climate-certified project? Expand PV Climate projects operate with smallholders and/or communities. More-specifically, producers in the project must be: Small-scale farmers, land-users or forest dwellers with recognised land tenure or user rights, whether as an individual (i.e. smallholder) or collectively as a community (see requirements 4 & 5); Organised, or in the process of being organised, into cooperatives, associations, community-based organisations or other organisational forms able to contribute to the social and economic development of their members and communities and democratically controlled by the members; and Able to use existing farmland, forest, woodland or other land type for project activities without undermining livelihood needs. Producers should also not be structurally dependent on permanently hired labour, and should manage their land mainly with their own and their family’s labour force.
2. Project Type What type of project can apply for PV Nature-certified projects? Expand Project’s where the interventions take place that will generate Plan Vivo Biodiversity Certificates (PVBCs) include: Restoration: projects looking improve and enhance the biodiversity of the project area. The project will aim to demonstrate measurable gains in biodiversity by restoring native ecosystems against the baseline. Conservation: projects looking to maintain and protect the biodiversity of the project area. The project will aim to demonstrate no change in biodiversity. In order to be eligible for a conservation project, you must meet at least one Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) criteria or at least two Important Plant Area (IPA) criteria. Projects need to provide evidence of eligibility that will be reviewed by Plan Vivo Secretariat and the PV Nature Technical Review Panel. What type of projects are not eligible for PV Nature-certified projects? Any restoration project that starts from an exceptionally low baseline – i.e., from completely bare or contaminated land that has very little extant life or very few species. Any project that has been cleared or degraded within the last 10-years. Restoration of environments from more biodiverse habitats to less diverse habitats e.g. woodland to peat bogs
3. Project Coordinators What organisations can run/ coordinate a PV Nature- certified project? Expand A Project Coordinator is the entity that runs the day-to-day management of a project (monitoring1, recruitment, reporting to Plan Vivo etc.) and, most often, develops the project. Project Coordinators must: Be an established legal entity that takes responsibility for the project and meeting the requirements of PV Nature for its duration; Have an in-country presence and the respect and experience required to work effectively with local communities and partners; Be focused and have the organisational capability and an ability to mobilise the necessary resources to develop the project; Have the capability to negotiate and deal with government, local organisations & institutions, and buyers of biodiversity certificates; and Have the ability to mobilise and train participants, implement and monitor project activities, and carry out technical functions. Project Coordinators should not draw on more than 40% of income from the sale of Plan Vivo Biodiversity Certificates (PVBCs) for ongoing coordination, administration and monitoring costs, except in circumstances where justification is provided to the Plan Vivo Foundation and a waiver formally agreed. It is fairly common for coordination to be divided between an international and an in-country coordinator, with a clear division of roles and responsibilities between the two parties. This does not, however, affect the benefit-sharing requirement, as at least 60% of the income from the sale of Plan Vivo Biodiversity Certificates (PVBCs) must still reach the participants unless otherwise agreed with the Plan Vivo Foundation.
3. Project Coordinators What organisations can run/coordinate a PV Climate-certified project? Expand A "Project Coordinator" is the entity that runs the day-to-day management of a project (monitoring, recruitment, reporting to Plan Vivo etc.) and, most often, develops the PV Climate project. Project Coordinators must: Be an established legal entity that takes responsibility for the project and meeting the requirements of PV Climate for its duration; Have a strong in-country presence and the respect and experience required to work effectively with local communities and partners; Be focused and have the organisational capability and an ability to mobilise the necessary resources to develop the project; Have the capability to negotiate and deal with government, local organisations & institutions, and buyers of ecosystem services; and Have the ability to mobilise and train participants, implement and monitor project activities, carry out technical functions. Project Coordinators should also not draw on more than 40 percent of income from the sale of Plan Vivo Certificates for ongoing coordination, administration and monitoring costs, save in exceptional circumstances where justification is provided to the Plan Vivo Foundation and a waiver formally agreed. It is fairly common for coordination to be divided between an international and an in-country coordinator, with a clear division of roles and responsibilities between the two parties. This does not, however, affect the benefit-sharing requirement, as 60% of the income from the sale of Plan Vivo Certificates must still reach the participants unless otherwise agreed with the Plan Vivo Foundation.
4. Land status What type of land can PV Climate-certified projects work on? Expand The land used in the PV Climate project, where the interventions take place that will generate Plan Vivo Certificates (if desired), must be either smallholder land or community-owned land. Land that is not owned by or subject to user rights of smallholders or communities may be included in the project area if it: Represents less than a third of the project area at all times; Was not acquired from smallholders/communities in order to develop the project; Bestows clear benefits to the project on a landscape level; and Is managed under an executed agreement between the owners/managers and the project participants. In exceptional circumstances, public/government land may be used for a project if management and carbon rights can be clearly transferred to nearby locals. The suitability of this would need to be discussed with the Plan Vivo Foundation on a case-by-case basis.
4. Land Status What type of land can PV Nature-certified projects work on? Expand Typically, the Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (PV Climate) has been specifically designed for use on land that is owned by or subject to user rights of smallholders or communities. Land not under this ownership model may be included if it: Represents less than a third of the Project Area at all times; Was not acquired from smallholders/communities in order to develop the project; Bestows clear benefits to the project and communities; and Is managed under an executed agreement between the owners/managers and the project participants. With PV Nature, private or government land may also be considered eligible if: The project can provide clarification as to why Local Stakeholders are not able to be Type I Project Participants (see below criterion 5), and detail how it will ensure that the local community will be able to participate and benefit from the project. The project identifies a local body that represents the local community to act as a Project Participant, in addition to the other Type II Project Participants (see below criterion 5), with whom the Project Coordinator must also sign an agreement. The project can clarify the land tenure and user rights of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, staff and tenants relevant to the project region. The project complies with all other PV Nature project requirements. There is an exclusion list that details projects that are not eligible under this model, please email [email protected] for more information, or complete the eligibility form.
5. Land tenure and user rights What land tenure or user rights must be secured for participants? Expand Land tenure or user rights must be secure and stable so that there can be clear ownership, traceability and accountability for ecosystem service benefits, such as carbon reduction or sequestration, and the ability to commit to project interventions for the duration of PES Agreements. Ideally, land tenure will be government-recognised and officially documented. However, we recognise that this is not possible in some countries. Therefore, in such instances, community-recognised land rights can be accepted so long as steps are taken to minimise the risk of local disputes over land tenure and on the condition that the project works with the government to help participants to acquire official recognition of their land tenure.
5. Project Participants Who can benefit from a PV Nature-certified project? Expand Plan Vivo projects must work in partnership with and provide benefits to local communities within the project region. Depending on the land tenure model for the project. Project participants can be: Type I - Local communities, Indigenous peoples or small-scale farmers, land-users or forest dwellers with recognised land tenure or user rights, whether as an individual (i.e. smallholder) or collectively as a community that reside within the project area. Type II – Individuals who do not reside within the project area, do not manage land or natural resources within the project area for small-scale production, or are structurally dependent on year-round hired labour for their land or natural resource management activities. Type II project participants will be permitted on an individual project basis, and are required to meet additional requirements. These projects will be permitted when aligned with Plan Vivo’s values, and also provide an opportunity to make private land work for local communities. This will be achieved by improving local livelihoods and public interest issues being attached to the benefit-sharing mechanism. All project participants must be: Organised, or in the process of being organised, into cooperatives, associations, community-based organisations or other organisational forms able to contribute to the social and economic development of their members and communities and democratically controlled by the members; and Able to use existing farmland, forest, woodland or other land type for project activities without undermining livelihood needs.
6. Carbon rights What assurances are required around carbon rights? Expand For PV Climate projects that wish to issue Plan Vivo Certificates, they must ensure that project participants have clear ownership of the carbon on their land, which includes having confidence that there are no laws preventing the ownership or trading of carbon by the smallholders. It must also be clear that there is no double-counting of carbon benefits (where more than one entity takes credit for the same CO2 reductions or removals) by demonstrating that no other carbon projects are operating in the same area or, if there are carbon projects operating, that appropriate steps are being taken by both projects to prevent the double counting of carbon.
6. Land Tenure and User Rights What land tenure or user rights must be secured for participants? Expand Land tenure or user rights must be secure and stable so that there can be clear ownership, traceability and accountability for ecosystem service benefits. Ideally, land tenure will be government-recognised and officially documented. However, we recognise that this is not possible within the legislative framework in some countries. Therefore, in such instances, community-recognised land rights and traditional authority approaches can be accepted so long as steps are taken to minimise the risk of local disputes over land tenure and on the condition that the project works with the government to help participants to acquire official recognition of their land tenure.
7. Activities and Interventions What activities and interventions can the project employ? Expand Projects must: Enable and empower communities to plan and take control of their resources in a sustainable way that promotes rural livelihoods and other environmental and social co-benefits; Be able to generate ecosystem service benefits through one or more of the following project interventions: Ecosystem restoration – Enabling the recovery of an ecosystem which has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. This is done by re-establishing the structure, productivity and species diversity that was previously present in the areas. Ecosystem rehabilitation – Assisting the recovery of an ecosystem which has been degraded, damaged or destroyed by repairing processes, productivity and services, but without re-establishing pre-existing structures. For example, inter-planting native tree species on degraded agriculture land to restore soil functions. Conservation of ecosystem– Protecting an ecosystem from degradation or conversion. An example would be preventing deforestation by reducing agricultural expansion into forest land. Be additional, not liable to cause leakage; Provide foundations for permanence, creating livelihood benefits that go beyond the project life time; Promote the restoration or protection of native or naturalised species.
7. Activities/interventions What activities/interventions can a PV Climate project employ? Expand PV Climate projects must: Enable communities to plan and take control of their resources in a sustainable way that promotes rural livelihoods and other environmental and social co-benefits; Be able to generate ecosystem service benefits through one or more of the following project intervention types under the PV Climate System: Ecosystem restoration – Enabling the recovery of an eco-system which has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. This is done by re-establishing the structure, productivity and species diversity that was previously present in the areas, such as through planting trees. Ecosystem rehabilitation – Assisting the recovery of an ecosystem which has been degraded, damaged or destroyed by repairing processes, productivity and services, but without re-establishing pre-existing structures. For example, inter-planting native tree species on degraded agriculture land to restore soil functions. Prevention of ecosystem conversion or degradation – Protecting an ecosystem from degradation or conversion. An example would be preventing deforestation by reducing agricultural expansion into forest land, or the introduction of new grazing practices to stop grassland degradation. Improved Land Use Management – Improving land use and land use management to increase the provision of ecosystem services, e.g. reduce GHG emissions and/or increase carbon stocks. Be additional, not liable to cause leakage, and provide foundations for permanence, as described in the PV Climate Standard; Involve the planting and/or promote the restoration or protection of native or naturalised plant and tree species. The use of naturalised (i.e. non-invasive) species is acceptable only where such species are: Preferable to any alternative native species owing to compelling livelihood benefits; Specifically selected by communities for this purpose; Not going to result in any negative effects on biodiversity or the provision of key ecosystem services in the project and surrounding areas. Encourage the development of local capacity and minimise dependency on external support.
8. Implementation How should the coordinator implement a PV Climate project? Expand A PV Climate project must be: Committed to initiating new activities on a pilot basis, gain experience, and identify improvements (‘learning by doing’); Implemented through practical capabilities ‘on the ground’, not by imposing high-level targets from above.
9. Carbon Pools Expand A PV Climate Project Design Document (PDD) must include a table of carbon pools and emission sources, when estimating emissions and removals. These can include the following: Carbon pools Above-ground woody biomass Below-ground woody biomass Dead wood Litter Soil organic carbon Long term wood products Emission sources Emissions from biomass burning Emissions from fossil fuel combustion N2O emissions from fertilizer application Emissions and removals from all carbon pools and emission sources must be estimated in the baselines scenario, with the project intervention, and for leakage. Carbon pools and emissions can be excluded as long as it will not lead to a significant over-estimation of climate benefits, such as: If the carbon stock is expected to be lower, or emissions expected to be higher, in the baseline scenario than with the project intervention. The carbon stock or emission source is insignificant in comparison to the carbon pools and emission sources included. In this case, total carbon stocks and emission sources excluded should be definitely less than 5% of the total carbon stock and emissions in all included pool and emission sources. A proxy should be considered if a carbon pool or emission source is not excluded under these criteria, but also cannot be cost-effectively assessed and monitored. If a suitable proxy is not available, a deduction must be made from expected climate benefits, to ensure that they are not over-estimated. Justification and evidence that exclusion criteria have been met must be provided in the PDD for all excluded carbon pools and emission sources.
Can I convert ex-ante or ex-post PVCs into fPVCs/rPVCs/vPVCs? Expand Unfortunately, it is not possible to convert certificate types from the V4 standard (ex-ante and ex-post) to certificate types from the V5 standard (fPVCs, rPVCs, vPVCs). The V5 Standard encompasses many processes (monitoring, conversion, vintages, non-achievement reserve, risk buffer contribution) that differ from the V4 Standardand. Therefore, ex-ante and ex-post certificates do not align with the processes under the V5 Standard. In addition to this, projects migrate at verifications and verifications serve to verify that the "old" certificates, i.e. those generated prior to the verification event, are compliant with the V4 the PDD and annual reports being applied and submitted during that time period. Only after the verification and migration will the project generate certificates that are aligned with the V5 standard.
Can I have a registry account? Expand A registry account is not required for a buyer to purchase PVCs. Instead, a project or reseller can use their own account to retire PVCs on behalf of buyers. Registry accounts are owned by the Plan Vivo Foundation and can be given to organisations over a period of time. Information is provided in the below table about the types of accounts available: Account type How to acquire Fees Length of access Project coordinator Register at least one project under PV Climate None Until the end of its final project period Reseller Sign a reseller agreement and pay the associated fees Please refer to the costs and fees page A rolling 1 year contract Corporate end buyer Sign a corporate end buyer agreement and pay the associated fees If you would like a reseller or corporate end buyer account, please contact [email protected] to discuss suitability and have access to the relevant agreement template. Account requests can be submitted on IHS Markit using the customer registration form.
Can I register a project under PV Climate? Expand Any organisation that wants to comply with the requirements in the latest version of PV Climate is welcome to submit a project for registration. After they have some confidence that their project will be eligible, the first formal step in the process is to complete and submit a Project Idea Note (PIN) for review, which can be created using the latest PIN template. However, we do also offer introductory calls prior to this step to get to know the prospective project and answer any questions. Requests for such calls can be made by emailing [email protected] For the full registration and certification process, please see the latest version of the Procedures Manual.
Can I register my project with Acorn? Expand If you have read the requirements in the Acorn Framework and Methodology, believe that your project could be compliant with these requirements and would like to explore certification to Acorn, please use the contact form on their start a project page.