Standards for Reforestation within Restoration projects

As restoration is in itself an intricate network of interrelated actions, it makes sense that the best option to achieve long-term success is to use a holistic approach towards ecosystem restoration. With this in mind, Plant-for-the-Planet has developed restoration/reforestation guidelines covering biological, social, and economic aspects to ensure high quality projects are supported by our platform.

These standards build on academic literature and the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration (by SER et al.), the Principles for Ecosystem Restoration to Guide the United Nations Decade 2021–2030 (by UN Environment Program, FAO et al.), and the Road to Restoration (by WRI & FAO).

We would love to receive any comments, feedback, or suggestion.

Please feel free to write to samantha.davalos@plant-for-the-planet.org anytime.

Plant-for-the-Planet supports the
United Nations Environment Programme

Restoration Project Review Board

The Restoration Project Review board advises on restoration project standards and makes the final decision on which projects meet our restoration standards to participate on the Plant-for-the-Planet Platform.

Dr. Pilar Angelica Gómez Ruiz

Professor

Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY)

Ricardo Romero

Former Program Manager

International Tree Foundation

Teresa Muthoni Gitonga

Africa Project Manager

One Tree Planted

Dr. Peter Borchardt

Community-Based Restoration Specialist

CEN Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit Universität Hamburg

Prof. Stuart Pimm

Doris Duke Professor of Conservation

Duke University

Standards Version 1.1, May 2023

Requirements

Projects must meet at least 27 of the 32 main standards (including all mandatory standards- marked in biege) to receive donations via the Plant-for-the-Planet platform. To qualify as a top project, you must meet at least 12 of the 19 top standards.

Core Standards

The Core Standards are the same for all restoration project types.

No.	Issue	Criteria	Main Standard	Top Standard	Verification Category & Metric
A1	PLANNING A PROJECT ¹ Do you have a project plan? / Type of project	A1.1 Existence of a project with clear objectives adapted to the social, economic and environmental context of landscape.	The project is developed according to the local context (social and biological) and site conditions. It has a written plan with clear goals, objectives and the work is aligned with them.	Holistic land use planning and spatial prioritization approach to ensure native forest continue to regrow and not compromising other productive activities	VERIFIED Copy of the plan, questionnaire or interview with the project leaders
	What is the original problem / is the cause of degradation solved?	A1.2 Underlying drivers and root causes of deforestation or degradation	Work in place to address drivers of deforestation or degradation in the project area	Degradation cause eliminated in the project area and work in place to address drivers of deforestation or degradation in the community or surroundings of the project area.	PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire
	Who is implementing the project?	A1.3 Type of organization	Registered as: Non-profit organization Cooperative Community groups organization Other		VERIFIED Registration certificate / registration number
	Land tenure	A1.4 Agreement on land tenure If buying; payment for land	Land tenure clearly defined and without conflicts. No land dispossession to local/indigenous communities. If buying land, fair payment and by will of local owners.		VERIFIED Copy of land tenure contract / Agreement / Letter of Intention
	Does the community support the project?	A1.5 Community approval	No current conflict between the community and the project implementation	Community initiated the project.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
	IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT Who is involved in project implementation?	A1.6 Community	Working with community, women, and indigenous groups (if applicable). At least 1/3 of women working in the project	Working with a diverse selection of community members in the project, for ex. women, youth, etc.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire Agreement / Code of Ethics
		A1.7 Community involvement ²	Community is involved in the implementation of the project.	Community has been involved since the planning phase of the project.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
	MONITORING Reviews	A1.8 On-site visits	Full access on-site to reviewers and observers		VERIFIED Site visits

Biological Standards

No.	Issue	Criteria	Main Standard	Top Standard	Verification Category & Metric
B2	PLANNING A PROJECT Where is the project located? – What are the current conditions? – Have potential unintended negative consequences of reforestation been considered?	B2.1 Original ecosystem type	No conversion of non-forest ecosystems to forest	Projects from high endangered ecosystems or working with endangered species	VERIFIED Ecosystem type verification via Global Forest Watch, KBA and satellite analysis images for no conversion
		B2.2 Vegetation present in the area: grass/ bare ground some vegetation/ shrubs established vegetation (native or invasive)	No cutting of native forest (Cutting of invasive/ non-native species is allowed to improve ecosystem health)		VERIFIED Evaluation of vegetation present at site before the project starts or during project development (i.e., List of plant species present, indicating if native, non-native or invasive, general description of site and surrounding landscape).
		B2.3 Unintended negative consequences	Potential negative consequences of planting considered (e.g., no planting of fast growing non-native species in agroforestry projects in arid systems where they could disrupt the water table ³,⁴; no planting exclusively evergreen trees where ecosystems are deciduous dominated).	Planting according to the natural original composition.
		B2.4 Project context		Project is developing opportunities to contribute to regional conservation goals	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
B3	SOURCING TREES ⁵ What are you going to plant?	B3.1 Species in the project	Not planting any invasive species to the region. Invasive alien species (IAS) are species introduced into places outside their natural range that have negative impacts on native biodiversity (IUCN, 2018)		VERIFIED List of species planted
		B3.2 Number of species planted	For restoration projects: Temperate: 2 species Tropical:8 species Mangroves: 1 species For agroforestry projects: Temperate: 2 species Tropical : 5 species. If the area is smaller than 1ha at least 3 species planted.	For restoration projects: Temperate: 4 species Tropical: 15 species. Mangroves: 2 species For agroforestry projects: Temperate: 2 species Tropical: 8 species. If the area is smaller than 1h at least 5 species planted.	VERIFIED List of species planted, percentages and field visits TreeMapper
		B3.3 % of each species	For restoration projects: No species should represent more than 50% of total. * In systems where naturally one species dominates this point doesn’t apply. For agroforestry projects: No species should represent more than 60% of total	For agroforestry projects: No species represent more than 40%
		B3.4 % of non-native species	For restoration projects: Maximum 30% of non-native species with a justification for their use For agroforestry projects: Maximum 70% of non-native species. No planting high densities of evergreen/coniferous species in areas where they naturally persist in low abundances. No planting species that may have negative effects in the ecosystem. In tropical forest: No conversion of deciduous dominated forest into an evergreen dominated forest. In temperate forest: No conversion of broadleaved forest into coniferous forest.	For restoration projects: Only native species (naturalized species are allowed) For agroforestry projects: Maximum 50% of non-native species.	VERIFIED List of species planted Field visits and, where applicable, verify no visual dominance of any species in the field TreeMapper
	Where are plants sourced from?	B3.5 Origin of seeds and seed collection sites	For restoration projects: 80% seeds collected within 250km radius For agroforestry projects: Seeds from native species collected following appendix 1 of SER guidelines⁶. Seeds from non-native species bought from a certified/reliable/known source	Seeds origin collection following appendix 1 of SER guidelines and ensuring genetic diversity. TOP: Native seeds collected by, or bought to community members.	PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionnaire Field and nursery visits
B4	PLANTING Is it necessary to plant? If yes, how are you going to plant?	B4.1 Does the system require tree planting?	No afforestation or planting in areas that have rapid rates of natural regeneration. Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) is allowed.		PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visits
		B4.2 Density – number of trees per ha - % of each species	Max. 10,000 trees /ha (high density only permissible if survival rates are low)		VERIFIED TreeMapper – pictures of plants. Site visits
		B4.3 Height / age of plants	~ 30cm height / only planting non-damaged seedlings (lignified stem, good root development, no weeds in the pots, no disease damage, no nutrient deficiency)		PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visits
	When are you going to plant?	B4.4 Months / Season	Clearly defined planting season (according to the ecosystem)		PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire
	How do you prepare planting sites?	B4.5 Method of clearing	NO fire, only allowed in ecosystems adapted to frequent fires. If fire is used, have a clear protocol.		PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Site visits
	How do you prepare planting sites?	B4.6 Removal of trees/ Width of stems removed	No cutting of existing trees (>10cm DBH), unless pruning or invasive/non-native for improving ecosystem health		PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Site visits
B5	AFTER PLANTING/MONITORING⁷ Do you care for trees after planting? / Maintenance of trees	B5.1 What? How long? Clearing / watering (if necessary)	Do Clearing / provide after care or general maintenance of the areas for at least 2 years according to the needs	Do Clearing / provide after care or general maintenance of the areas for at least 3 years according to the needs	PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire Site visits
	General ecosystem health questions	B5.2 Invasive species (if already present in the ecosystem)	For areas where work has been done for less than 5 years: less than 70% of the area covered by invasive species and projects actively working on depleting it. For areas where work has been done for 5 years or more: Less than 50% OR no clear visual dominance *Planting of invasive species in agroforestry systems is not allowed. If there is an already present invasive species useful for the community, the project can maintain it (but not plant more) if special measures to avoid spreading or damages to the ecosystem are being applied.	For areas where work has been done for less than 5 years: less than 50% or no clear visual dominance. For areas where work has been done for 5 years or more: less than 25%, whenever possible, or present just in small patches/almost eradicated or not representing a threat to the ecosystem.	VERIFIED Site visits random visit of at least 5 points
	Reporting	B5.3 Annual reports	Publish annual statistics on: - Area restored, including shapefile (GeoJson or KML of the working area) - Number of trees planted - Species planted - Species composition - Survival rate (after year 3) Note: this standard can be fulfilled using the free TreeMapper tool, but other tools are accepted - Provide an annual confirmation of the use of funds	Publish annual statistics, including data collection methodology, on: - Vegetation cover - Community engagement - Fauna monitoring or other indicators	VERIFIED TreeMapper or annual reports Annual confirmation
B6	HARVESTING (Applicable only for projects that intend to do so) Harvesting techniques	B6.1 Timber products	For restoration projects: Max. 10% of total trees every 30 years (or following documented best forestry practices)⁹ and, if for profit, only for community profits or to continue with restoration activities. For agroforestry projects: Max. 30% of total trees after 15 years (or following documented best forestry practices)⁹. If for profit, only for community profits, as a sustainable income source or to continue with restoration activities.	For restoration projects: No harvesting of timber products (or following documented best forestry practices). Only maintenance activities For agroforestry projects: Max. 10% of total trees after 20 years (or following documented best forestry practices). If for profit, only for community profits, as a sustainable income source or to continue with restoration activities.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
B6		B6.2 Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP)	NTFP harvesting following sustainable forest management guidelines⁸		SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
B7	CONSERVATION ASSURANCE How long are planted trees secure?	B7.1 Land tenure	Ensure that some action for protection of the trees is in place.	Protection of trees for 30-50y or more (written or communally agreed)	VERIFIED Copy of land tenure contract or Letter of Intent (a template can be provided)
B7	Are trees secured (if necessary)?	B7.2 Tree protection (animal threats, like cattle)	If the area requires protection from animal threats, 50% of areas are protected.	If the area requires protection from animal threats, 100% of areas are protected.	VERIFIED Site visits

Social & Financial Standards

No.	Issue	Criteria	Main Standard	Top Standard	Verification Category & Metric
B8	PLANNING THE PROJECT How does the project affect the community?	B8.1 Respect of cultural and daily livelihoods	No significant affects to livelihood, or any cultural or subsistence requirements of the community due to project implementation		PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire / site visits Minimum needs for security protection of the area (human threats)
B9	IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT Who is involved in project implementation?	B9.1 Community involvement	Direct benefits to the community that improve their livelihood (social and economically)	Some local people have leadership roles or are involved in the decision making process.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire Agreement / Code of Ethics
		B9.2 # Jobs created / % of local people working	At least 40% of employees/project contributors are local (locals defined as people that can travel daily from their homes to work)	At least 60% of employees are local At least 30% of leadership roles are filled by community members	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
	Local / Economic benefits	B9.3 Salary¹⁰	Minimum wages above country poverty line		SELF-REPORTED Agreement / Code of Ethics
		B9.4 Worker rights / benefits Training / other services	Healthcare, social security provided based on country situations
		B9.5 Funding allocation between groups overseeing/implementing the project	Funds equally allocated between the projects groups	At least 70% of funds for implementing group
B10	ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE Economic viability of the project	B10. 1 Project funding Government Donations Business model / selling products	Economic plan / Budget needed for 1 year and planned funding sources (more than one) Tree price calculation must be included	Budget needed for 2 years or more, and planned funding sources	VERIFIED Budget plan
B10	Project assurance	B10.2 Economical assurance/ exit strategy		Clear actions / process in case the NGO runs out of funding / shuts down	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
B11	REPORTING	B11.1 Financial report	Upload preliminary financial reports 12 months and final reports 24 months after fiscal year over		VERIFIED Financial reports
B11	What is the long-term funding plan for maintenance and monitoring?	B11.2 Maintenance and monitoring funding plan	Upload funding plan or statement securing maintenance and monitoring for at least 3 years	Upload funding plan or statement securing maintenance and monitoring for at least 5 years	VERIFIED Budget plan/Statement

Earlier Version of the Standards

Version 1.0, February 2022

Download

Citations

Brancalion & Hall (2020): Guidance for successful tree planting initiatives. Journal of Applied Ecology. 57(12). 2349-2361. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13725
Di Sacco et al. (2021): Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits. Global Change Biology 27(7). 1328-1348. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15498
Jackson et al. (2005): Trading Water for Carbon with Biological Carbon Sequestration. Science. 310(5756). 1944-1947. DOI: 10.1126/science.1119282
Kirschbaum et al. (2011): Implications of albedo changes following afforestation on the benefits of forests as carbon sinks. Biogeosciences. 8. 3687–3696, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-3687-2011
Liu et al. (2018): Mixed-species versus monocultures in plantation forestry: Development, benefits, ecosystem services and perspectives for the future. Global Ecology and Conservation 15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00419
Gann GD, McDonald T, Walder B, Aronson J, Nelson CR, Jonson J, Hallett JG, Eisenberg C, Guariguata MR, Liu J, Hua F, Echeverria C, Gonzales, EK, Shaw N, Decleer K, Dixon KW. 2019. International principles and standards for the practice of ecological restoration. Second edition. Restoration Ecology S1-S46
Moonlight PW, Banda-R K, Philips OL, et al. (2021): Expanding tropical forest monitoring into Dry Forests: The DRYFLOR protocol for permanent plots. Plants, People, Planet. 2021;3: 295-300. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10112
Jalonen et al (2018): Guidelines for Equitable and Sustainable Non-Timber Forest Product Management. Bioversity International, Rome. https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Guidelines_Marlene_2018.pdf
FAO (2010): Planted forests in sustainable forest management - a statement of principles. https://www.fao.org/3/al248e/al248e00.pdf
Global Change Data Lab (2021): National poverty line https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/national-poverty-lines-vs-gdp-per-capita?tab=table

ANR Standards Version 1.0, May 2023

Requirements

Projects must meet at least 26 of the 30 main standards (including all mandatory standards- marked in biege) to receive donations via the Plant-for-the-Planet platform. To qualify as a top project, you must meet at least 10 of the 17 top standards.

Core Standards

The Core Standards are the same for all restoration project types.

No.	Issue	Criteria	Main Standard	Top Standard	Verification Category & Metric
A1	PLANNING A PROJECT Do you have a project plan? / Type of project	A1.1 Existence of a project with clear objectives adapted to the social, economic and environmental context of landscape.	The project is developed according to the local context (social and biological) and site conditions. It has a written plan with clear goals, objectives and the work is aligned with them.	Holistic land use planning and spatial prioritization approach to ensure native forest continue to regrow and not compromising other productive activities	VERIFIED Copy of the plan, questionnaire or interview with the project leaders
	What is the original problem / is the cause of degradation solved?	A1.2 Underlying drivers and root causes of deforestation or degradation	Work in place to address drivers of deforestation or degradation in the project area	Degradation cause eliminated in the project area and work in place to address drivers of deforestation or degradation in the community or surroundings of the project area.	PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visit
	Who is implementing the project?	A1.3 Type of organization	Registered as: Non-profit organization Cooperative Community groups organization Other		VERIFIED Registration certificate / registration number
	Land tenure	A1.4 Agreement on land tenure If buying; payment for land	Land tenure clearly defined and without conflicts. No land dispossession to local/indigenous communities. If buying land, fair payment and by will of local owners.		VERIFIED Copy of land tenure contract / Agreement / Letter of Intention
	Does the community support the project?	A1.5 Community approval	No current conflict between the community and the project implementation	Community initiated the project.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
	IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT Who is involved in project implementation?	A1.6 Community	Working with community, women, and indigenous groups (if applicable). At least 1/3 of women working in the project	Working with a diverse selection of community members in the project, for ex. women, youth, etc.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire Code of Ethics
		A1.7 Community involvement	Community is involved in the implementation of the project.	Community has been involved since the planning phase of the project.	PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visits
	MONITORING Reviews	A1.8 On-site visits	Full access on-site to reviewers and observers		VERIFIED Site visits

Biological Standards

No.	Issue	Criteria	Main Standard	Top Standard	Verification Category & Metric
C2	PLANNING A PROJECT Where is the project located? – What are the current conditions?	C2.1 Original ecosystem type	Ensuring species growing are accordant to the original ecosystem type, mainly dominated by native species. If there is planting of trees implemented, not having negative effects to the ecosystem.	Only native species accordant to the original ecosystem type are growing in the area.	VERIFIED Evaluation of vegetation present at site before the project starts (i.e., List of plant species present, number of regenerants, soil condition, general description of site and surrounding landscape).
		C2.2 Vegetation present in the area	Make a mapping of the landscape were the project will work in order to have an assesment of the regeneration potential in the area before starting. If soil degradation is a limitant for ANR, ensure to focus on the implementation of the necessary methods for its improvement and restoration to ensure saplings can germinate and grow there, before taking other actions. If soil degradation is not limiting the grow of species, improvement techniques such as SWC (Soil Water Conservation), trenches, mulching, percolation pits, etc can be implemented together with ANR and/or tree planting
		C2.3 Project context	Know the site history to understand the degradation causes and drivers of deforestation (when, why, how)		SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
		C2.4 Size and connectivity of the area	Tree cover (forest reserves or conserved patches) close to the regenerating area or at least ensure presence of adult desired species in the vicinity to ensure seed sources availability. If there's seed dispersal limitation the project should adapt other strategies to enable regeneration.	Working in areas that connect remnants of native ecosystem or Working in endangered ecosystems	PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionaire and field visit
C3	IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT Is the site suitable for natural regeneration? Is natural regeneration enough?	C3.1 Number of regenerating plants	Regenerating seedlings required will vary based on objectives, distribution, species composition, soil fertility, rain, etc. but the project should be aware that they are present at adequate/sufficiently high densities or there should be an adequate input of seeds (seed bank assessment) from surrounding areas¹ in order to make the project feaseable	Projects have done a census of the area and they have an assessment of the number of regenerants. If it's of interest, they are marked and species have been identified.	PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionaire and field visit
		C3.2 Species diversity	Species should be based on the original ecosystem type and mimicking the natural succession process *Donations by the platform should be restricted to allow restoration of native trees. Planting of exotic species is allowed using other resources		VERIFIED Questionnaire and site visit
		C3.3 Approach complementarity	Productivity activities should be allowed to improve livelihoods and complementary interventions/approaches (such as tree planting, percolation pits, soil recovery methods, etc) should be implemented in case natural regeneration alone is not enough.		VERIFIED Questionnaire and site visit
C4	MAINTEINANCE Ensuring natural regeneration	C4.1 Regeneration barriers	At least the main barrier(s) to natural succesion/regeneration, should be removed or work to reduce it is in place. Barriers are defined as anything that prevents seedlings from growing, such as competition or disturbances like grass, cattle, insects, pests, fires, unsustainable harvesting, etc. ¹		VERIFIED Questionnaire and site visit
		C4.2 Invasive species (if already present in the ecosystem)	If invasive species in the area could arrest the Natural Regeneration process, the project should be working to suppress them. Invasive alien species (IAS) are species introduced into places outside their natural range that have negative impacts on native biodiversity ² *Planting of invasive species is not allowed. If there is an already present invasive species useful for the community, the project can maintain it (but not plant more) if special measures to avoid spreading or damages to the ecosystem are being applied.	For areas where Natural regeneration has started more than 5 years ago, invasive species should not be dominating the landscape.	VERIFIED Questionnaire and site visit
		C4.3 Prunning	Prunning is allowed but the right technique should be used to ensure the continous growth or re-growth of the trees (not prunning to high in the tree, cutting side branches, but not all leaves) In FMNR prunning of trees and seedlings is suggested to encourage accelerated growth every 2-3months.		PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionnaire
C5	MONITORING ³,⁴ Reporting and reviews	C5.1 Monitoring	Do regular follow-ups to effectively supervise the project and the areas, particularly in the early stages. Perform annual monitoring plots to check on the change in the composition and structure of the sites for at least 5 years	Do timely, regular follow-ups to effectively supervise the project and the areas during the whole project. Perform annual monitoring plots for at least 10 years.	PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visits
C5	MONITORING ³,⁴ Reporting and reviews	C5.2 Reporting	Publish annual statistics on: - Area restored, including shapefile (GeoJson or KML of the working area) - Species composition /richness - Succession mimic Note: this standard can be fulfilled using the free TreeMapper tool, but other tools are accepted - Provide an annual confirmation of the use of funds	Publish annual statistics, including data collection methodology, on: - Vegetation cover - Functional groups diversity - Community engagement - Fauna monitoring or other indicators	VERIFIED TreeMapper or annual reports Annual confirmation
C6	CONSERVATION ASSURANCE How long are plants/sites secure?	C6.1 Self-sustainability of the project	The project areas should have a commitment regarding the long-term management of the land, in order to maintain or increase the tree number in the areas for at least 20 years.	The project has defined protection measures for the ecoystem in the long-term to ensure that the trees are conserved forever	PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visits
	CONSERVATION ASSURANCE How long are plants/sites secure?	C6.1 Self-sustainability of the project	The project should be working to encourage a mindset change in the community to ensure the long-term success of the project		PLAUSABILITY CHECK Questionnaire and site visits
	How do you protect the sites (if necessary)?	C6.2 Areas protection (fires, animal threats, cattle, humans, etc)	Identify the threats of the area and take actions/have a plan to prevent the main/most important of them	Take actions to control/ prevent all of the threats identified	VERIFIED Site visits

Social & Financial Standards

No.	Issue	Criteria	Main Standard	Top Standard	Verification Category & Metric
C7	PLANNING THE PROJECT How does the project affect the community?	C7.1 Respect of cultural and daily livelihoods	No significant affects to livelihood, or any cultural or subsistence requirements of the community due to project implementation		PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire / site visits Minimum needs for security protection of the area (human threats)
C7	Land tenure	C7.2 Land rights	Landholders have full rights on the management and use of the trees according to their needs and interests. Project should ensure technical support to landholders so that they can do a sustainable use of resources		SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
C8	IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT Who is involved in project implementation?	C8.1 Community involvement	Direct benefits to the community that improve their livelihood (social and economically)	Some local people have leadership roles or are involved in the decision making process.	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire Agreement / Code of Ethics
		C8.2 Benefit access	Ensure equal access to the benefits	Marginalized people are also getting benefits from the project, specially if they are working on the project	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire Agreement / Code of Ethics
		C8.3 # Jobs created / % of local people working	Involve as many locals as much as possible in the project (for ex. in monitoring, prunning, maintenance and in achieve awareness)		SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
	Local / Economic benefits	C8.4 Salary ⁵	Minimum wages above country poverty line		SELF-REPORTED Agreement / Code of Ethics
		C8.5 Worker rights / benefits Training / other services	Healthcare, social security provided based on country situations
		C8.6 Funding allocation between groups overseeing/implementing the project	Funds shared appropiatelly between the projects groups	At least 70% of funds for implementing group
		C8.7 Livelihood improvement for long-term sustainabillity	The project is helping diversifying/increase the income options (not only related to trees) or improving livelihood of the community to ensure long-term sustainability	Promote community empowerment and develop or support the creation of new income generation models appart from the project itself, such as agroforestry value chains	PLAUSIBILITY CHECK Questionnaire / site visits
C9	ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE Economic viability of the project	C9.1 Independence sustainability	The project has a diversity of funding sources to ensure sustainability		SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire
C9	Project assurance	C9.2 Economical assurance/ exit strategy		Clear actions / process in case the NGO runs out of funding / shuts down	SELF-REPORTED Questionnaire

Citations

FAO. 2019. Restoring forest landscapes through assisted natural regeneration (ANR) – A practical manual. Bangkok. 52pp
IUCN. 2018. Invasive Alien Species and sustainable development. Issues Brief. International Union for Conservation of Nature (online)
Moonlight PW, Banda-R K, Philips OL, et al. (2021): Expanding tropical forest monitoring into Dry Forests: The DRYFLOR protocol for permanent plots. Plants, People, Planet. 2021;3: 295-300. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10112
Elliott, S., & Wangpakapattanawong, P. (2012). GUIDELINES FOR MONITORING ASSISTED NATURAL REGENERATION.
Global Change Data Lab (2021): National poverty line https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/national-poverty-lines-vs-gdp-per-capita?tab=table

REFERENCES

Rinaudo, T., Muller, A., & Morris, M. (2019). Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) Manual. World Vision Australia: Melbourne, Australia.
Chazdon, R. L., & Uriarte, M. (2016). The Role of Natural Regeneration in Large-scale Forest and Landscape Restoration: Challenge and Opportunity. Biotropica, 48(6), 709-715.
Chazdon, R. L., Lindenmayer, D., Guariguata, M. R., Crouzeilles, R., Benayas, J. M. R., & Chavero, E. L. (2020). Fostering natural forest regeneration on former agricultural land through economic and policy interventions. Environmental Research Letters, 15(4), 043002. DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ab79e6
Weston, Peter, Reaksmey Hong, Carolyn Kaboré & Christian A. Kull (2015) Farmer managed natural regeneration enhances rural livelihoods in dryland West Africa. Environmental Management, 55 (6):1402-1417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0469-1
Lohbeck, M., Albers, P., Boels, L.E. et al. Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration. Sci Rep 10, 15038 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70746-z
Muriuki J, Wanjira EO and Ojuok I. 2022. Farmer managed natural regeneration in Kenya: A trainer’s guide for farmers, pastoralists and other land users. Nairobi: World Agroforestry (ICRAF), p56.
Crouzeilles, R., Alexandre, N.S., Beyer, H., Bodin, B., Guariguata, M.R. & Chazdon, R.L. 2019. Giving nature a hand: Innovations in planning to assist natural regeneration of forests to mitigate climate change, save species from extinctions, and enhance well-being. CIFOR.

Code of Conduct

All projects are required to comply with the Plant-for-the-Planet pp.eco/coc

Other Risks

Plant-for-the-Planet reserves the right to reject or later remove projects from the platform for reasons other than the ones stated in these standards. In particular if it believes that there is a considerable risk that the project is not sufficiently effective at restoring or protecting the ecosystem, or risks harm to the local ecosystem, the local community, the environment more broadly or Plant-for-the-Planet’s reputation. Projects may also be rejected, removed or frozen in the case of gross violation of non-mandatory standards.

Enforcement Action & Reallocation Policy

What is our Funding Reallocation Policy?

The Plant-for-the-Planet Platform is committed to fulfilling our donor’s wishes. As far as possible, we want to ensure that donations go to the projects selected by our donors. However, when new information comes to our attention that indicate that a selected project is potentially unable to use the funds responsibly or achieve the promised ends or there is other doubt regarding their integrity, Plant-for-the-Planet reserves the right to reallocate the donations to other projects.

For that purpose, we have developed a funding reallocation policy. This policy is a framework that outlines the circumstances and principles guiding the redirection of funds allocated to restoration projects. We want to ensure that resources are channeled efficiently to projects that create the greatest positive change.

When Does a Reallocation Occur?

A reallocation of funds may occur in specific situations to uphold our commitment to responsible funding and positive impact:

For-Profit Organizations: Funds may be reallocated from projects led by for-profit organizations. This may be the case, when a project incorrectly reports their status or looses its non-profit status.
Non-Compliance and Review: A project might loose donation privileges due to non-compliance with our standards during a review (off-site or on-site). The review board grants a window for improvement; if the project fails another review within the specified timeframe, funds are redirected. During the window, funds that have not yet been paid out to the project are frozen.
Overfunded Projects: Projects receiving more donations than can be implemented effectively within 24 months might see funds reallocated to other initiatives to ensure resources are optimally utilized.
Requests for Reallocation: An organization in charge of a project may request reallocation from one project to another, typically similar in nature.

The decision to reallocate funds is made with careful consideration, engaging relevant stakeholders and maintaining open communication. Our priority is to ensure your contributions lead to meaningful, lasting change in restoration efforts.

How Does the Reallocation Process Work?

Our funding reallocation process is transparent and structured to ensure responsible allocation of resources. The steps include:

Decision: The Project Review Board makes a decision to halt payouts and donation collection for a project. In urgent cases, the lead project reviewer might take the decision but is always subject to review by the review board.
RO Manager Informed: The lead project reviewer notifies the RO Manager about the suspension.
Disabling Donations: The RO Manager disables donations for the affected project.
Project Communication: The project is informed about the suspension and given twelve months to pass a subsequent review.
Review Outcome: If the second review is not passed within twelve months, or if not reapplied for, the reallocation process begins.
- Project Selection: A similar project in price and ecosystem type, is chosen by the lead project reviewer.
- Donor Notification: Donors contributing over €50 are informed about the new project reallocation. Donations are reallocated unless they object within a month. €5,000+ donors require active consent.
- Database Updates: Donations are updated in the database, and history is reflected in backend and frontend systems.

The process may be adapted depending on the specific circumstances.

Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation | Standards for Restoration Projects | samantha.davalos@plant-for-the-planet.org

Requirements

Core Standards

Biological Standards

Social & Financial Standards

Earlier Version of the Standards

Version 1.0, February 2022

Citations

Requirements

Core Standards

Biological Standards

Social & Financial Standards

Citations

Restoration Orgs

Users

Companies & Institutions