About PV Climate

What is the Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (PV Climate)?

The Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (PV Climate) is a set of project, methodology and validation/verification requirements used to certify smallholder and community forestry projects based on their climate, livelihood and environmental benefits. PV Climate is the longest-standing Carbon Standard in the Voluntary Carbon Market and has gone through a 25+ year evolution, looking back on extensive and rich experience of working with smallholder and community-led restoration and forest protection projects.

PV Climate had its origins in 1994 in a project in Chiapas Mexico which sought to incentivise and compensate smallholder reforestation. Over the last 26 years, the Standard has developed into a tried-and-tested model that has been applied by 30 projects in over 20 countries looking to demonstrate that they deliver bottom-up and participatory approaches which put communities and smallholders at the centre of solutions. We are proud that the Standard is attracting more and more projects as a pragmatic solution to deliver climate and livelihood benefits based on participatory approaches which put communities and smallholders at the centre of solutions.

What project activities can be registered under PV Climate?

Plan Vivo allows two types of activities to be registered under PV Climate: project-based activities (i.e. specific project interventions) or grouped project interventions (i.e. projects grouping various sub-projects into an overall programme).

When was the Standard last updated?

In order to incorporate experience and lessons learned and ensure marketability of Plan Vivo-certified projects, PV Climate is periodically updated. The Standard was last updated in 2022 (Version 5 - V5) to meet best practice in environmental integrity, meet environmental and social safeguards and to deliver long-term livelihood and biodiversity benefits. A core requirement in the Standard is that 60% of all income from carbon credits sales has to be channelled back to communities.

While we value innovation, flexible and bespoke models, there was a need to streamline our approach in order to scale Plan Vivo’s model. PV Climate V5 aims to respond to emerging best practice on the Voluntary Carbon Market, which is increasingly influenced by the 2015 signing of the Paris Agreement and a global drive to keep temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius.

PV Climate V5 (2022)

You can access Plan Vivo's previous version of PV Climate (V5) - including the guidance manuals, other relevant documentation and templates - via below link below:

PV Climate V5 Documents >

Register a project

More information on how projects can become PV Climate certified can be found here:

Register a project >

PV Climate V4 (2013)

You can access Plan Vivo's previous version of PV Climate (V4) - including the guidance manuals, other relevant documentation and templates - via below link below:

PV Climate V4 Documents >

Queries or questions?

Should you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact:

For project related enquiries, please email [email protected]
For anything else, please email [email protected]