Eligibility, costs & fees

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.

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: The project will aim to maintain 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 (TRP).

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.

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 project. Project Coordinators must: 

1. Be an established legal entity that takes responsibility for the project and meeting the requirements of PV Nature for its duration;
2. Have an in-country presence and the respect and experience required to work effectively with local communities and partners;
3. Be focused and have the organisational capability and an ability to mobilise the necessary resources to develop the project;
4. Have the capability to negotiate and deal with government, local organisations & institutions, and buyers of biodiversity certificates; and
5. 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 Plan Vivo 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 Plan Vivo.

Typically, 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: 

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 and communities; and
4. 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: 

1. 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.  
    
2. 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. 
    
3. The project can clarify the land tenure and user rights of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, staff and tenants relevant to the project region. 
    
4. 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 biodiversity@planvivofoundation.org for more information, or complete the eligibility form, available on the PV Nature documents page.

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. 

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. 

Projects must: 

1. 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;
2. Be able to generate ecosystem service benefits through one or more of the following project interventions:
3. 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. 
    
4. 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. 
    
5. Conservation of ecosystem– Protecting an ecosystem from degradation or conversion. An example would be preventing deforestation by reducing agricultural expansion into forest land. 
    
6. Be additional, not liable to cause leakage; 
    
7. Provide foundations for permanence, creating livelihood benefits that go beyond the project life time; 
    
8. Promote the restoration or protection of native or naturalised species.  

Registration fees cover the review of key project documents, including the Project Idea Note (PIN) and Project Design Document (PDD). These fees support the technical and administrative work needed to assess whether a project meets PV Nature requirements before moving forward.

Project development costs vary widely depending on the project’s scope, location, and design. These costs may include community engagement, baseline studies, biodiversity surveys, and preparing technical documentation. Funding is typically secured by the project team through grants, partnerships, or early-stage investors.

PV Nature projects are required to undergo third-party audits to confirm they meet the Standard:

• Validation takes place before project registration
• Verification is required at least every five years after registration

Audit costs depend on factors such as project size, accessibility, audit route (Independent Expert or Validation and Verification Body), and auditor fees. These costs are paid directly by the project and are not included in Plan Vivo’s fees.

Operational costs include day-to-day project management, biodiversity monitoring, community engagement, and annual reporting. These costs vary by project, and existing project reports can provide useful examples of typical cost structures.

Plan Vivo does not provide direct start-up funding for PV Nature projects. Projects often secure early funding from sources such as government programmes, international initiatives, or philanthropic partners, and Plan Vivo can provide guidance on funding pathways where appropriate.