4. Land status

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:

1. Represents less than a third of the project area at all times;
2. Was not acquired from smallholders/communities in order to develop the project;
3. Bestows clear benefits to the project on a landscape level; and
4. 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.