Plan Vivo plans to introduce a biodiversity credit protocol with scientific credibility, accessible to communities, and scalable globally. Toral Shah, the biodiversity coordinator at Plan Vivo Foundation, shared that the draft protocol has undergone testing in seven pilot projects across diverse landscapes and regions, each with unique governance and land tenure models.
View of mangroves on Roatan island in Honduras.
Two of these pilots are marine projects, one for seascape restoration in Solent, England, and the other for mangrove restoration in Honduras. The recent First Annual Conference on Nature-based Solutions using Carbon and Biodiversity Credit Funding highlighted the need for a balanced approach that maintains scientific credibility while being community-accessible and scalable.
The Plan Vivo biodiversity methodology adopts a participatory approach with a transparent, equitable benefit-sharing mechanism for the communities involved. The primary goal is to produce high-integrity biodiversity certificates that not only benefit nature and biodiversity but also create positive impacts on climate and society.
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It's important to note that the resulting certificates will not be used for offsetting purposes but instead for nature-positive pledges. The methodology utilises a percentage change unit and requires monitoring specific biodiversity indicators using standardised ecosystem and species-based indices across projects.
To ensure technical support and quality assurance, Plan Vivo has partnered with Pivotal Future. The projects will be reviewed by academics, regional specialists, and third-party auditors to guarantee an auditable and scalable approach. Plan Vivo also aims to incorporate innovative technologies for monitoring and measurements while emphasising community participation and local knowledge.
The potential of biodiversity credit projects to contribute significantly to the global target of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 is considerable. Plan Vivo's focus on seascape-level projects allows for a more comprehensive approach, covering a range of habitats and enabling the protection or restoration of larger-scale initiatives not fully supported by carbon financing alone.
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Plan Vivo is keen on involving local communities and government bodies in project design to ensure long-term success beyond the project period. Fair pricing and effective community engagement are crucial elements in striking a balance between conservation efforts and sustainable livelihoods.
While piloting mechanisms to stack biodiversity credits with carbon credits, Plan Vivo emphasises the importance of defining objectives and tailoring the approach to suit each location. It seeks to create a resilient framework highlighting the impact of biodiversity, climate, and social factors across all projects, leading to the generation of progress indicators.
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