Plan Vivo Foundation Improving livelihoods, restoring ecosystems

2015-2016

ANNUALREPORT

People and livelihoodsEthical climate services

Watersheds

Ecosystems

Biodiversity

Participation

Adaptation

Community Rights

Poverty Reduction

PESNative species

Transparency

Habitats

Annual Report 2016

People and livelihoodsEthical climate services

Watersheds

Ecosystems

Biodiversity

Participation

Adaptation

Community Rights

Poverty Reduction

PESNative species

Transparency

Habitats

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Facts and Figures 2

3. Project Highlights 3

4. Financial Report 4

5. Financial Report Narrative 6

6. Event Highlights 8

7. The Year Gone By 10

8. Looking Forward 12

9. 2015/2016 Partnerships 13

10. Plan Vivo in the News 14

11. Environmental Footprint 15

“ With the CommuniTree Carbon Program, our family has been able to earn extra income, which is well needed to get through the dry season when revenue from agriculture is unavailable. With the money received from the project, we’ve been able to build a nursery, buy seeds, set up and maintain new lots, as well as got extra income for ourselves.” Lidia y Gustavo Anguilera Ortez, Participants in Communitree, Nicaragua

Plan Vivo

Board of Trustees 2015/2016:Dr Ina PorrasIIEDJessica Orrego Winrock/American Carbon RegistryCharles HendersonClimate FuturesDouglas CampbellCMS Cameron MCKennaEmily FrippEfeca Susan Tarka SanchezWalt Disney Company (resigned 22 December 2015)Andrew InglisFAO (resigned 10 March 2015) Alexa Morrison RSBP Scotland (appointed 10 March 2015) Danush DhineshCCAFS (appointed 18 January 2016)Dr Mark PoffenbergerFomerly with Community Forestry International (appointed 18 January 2016)Stephen Porter University of Edinburgh (appointed 18 January 2016) Julian Gayfer IODParc (appointed 18 January 2016)

Plan Vivo ExecutiveChristopher StephensonHead of OperationsMatteo BigoniProgramme ManagerEva SchoofProjects Officer

“ The developed world’s unavoidable CO2 emissions are a boundless business opportunity for the global poor, and COTAP launched to seize and expand that opportunity. Many projects and standards operate in least developed regions and create many admirable co-benefits, but COTAP chose and exclusively works with Plan Vivo projects and plans to for the foreseeable future. Plan Vivo continues to stand out because they go far beyond “good enough” social benefits through their requirements for substantial and direct carbon revenue sharing with local communities. It’s been their focus since day one, and they’ve proven to be a tough act to follow.”Tim Whitley,COTAP

Plan Vivo FoundationThorn House5 Rose StreetEdinburghEH2 2PR www.planvivo.org info@planvivofoundation.orgRegistered Scottish Charity number: SCO40151

Plan Vivo

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Annual Report 2016

Plan Vivo has maintained a growing and steady presence in the voluntary carbon market. We have surpassed the 2 million certificate mark and have now issued 2.22 million Plan Vivo certificates. Between March 2015 and February 2016, Plan Vivo issued certificates equivalent to the emissions reductions of 304,779 tCO2 – a considerable increase from last year which is reflected in sales. The average price of $7.6 per PVC was substantially higher than the average price for carbon offsets on the voluntary carbon market. This not only reflects buyers’ interest in the co-benefits that PV projects deliver, but also shows partners’ trust and loyalty to Plan Vivo as a Standard.

The Plan Vivo project pipeline has grown to a record number of 53 projects. The Standard has expanded into new regions, such as the South Pacific and Indonesia. Older projects continue to expand within their countries and generate new ideas for engaging with wider sustainable development agendas. Projects in Mexico, Uganda and Nicaragua are reaching important stages of tree maturity and partners are actively

engaging in the ‘post-carbon’ stages, providing important lessons on long-term sustainability and exit strategies, as projects reach their natural conclusion.

With our commitment to being the main ethical carbon standard we champion the cause for co-production and generation of mutually beneficial transactions along value chains. All in all, Plan Vivo has helped to transfer more than US$14 million, providing significant leverage funding to local and national sustainable development agendas.

Introductionby Dr Ina Porras(Senior researcher at IIED, and current Chair of PV Foundation)

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Plan Vivo

Facts and Figures

For FY2015-2016

• 12 registered projects

• Plan Vivo’s pipeline now expandsto 41 projects, including a largeportfolio of potential projects inIndonesia and West Africa

• 2.2 million certificates issued

• 304,679 Plan Vivo Certificatesissued in FY 2015-2016

• Transaction of 860,000 PVCsin 2015 (up by 125% on 2014)1

• Average Price of Plan VivoCertificates in FY 2015 – 2016was $7.6/tCO2 (above averageprices of $3.3/tCO2 on thevoluntary carbon market)1

• Plan Vivo emerged as thevoluntary carbon Standard withthe highest retirement rate of88%1

• $14 million channelled intodeveloping country organisations

• Participated in 5 high-profileevents: PES Consortium

conference in Indonesia, SMS-PES conference in Uganda,

Carbon Expo in Barcelona, COP21 in Paris, Global

Landscapes Forum in Paris

• Biennial

Stakeholder Eventin Sigtuna, Sweden:

2-day conference involving a large

stakeholder network.

1 http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_5242.pdf

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Annual Report 2016

Project Highlights

Bujang Raba Community PES project, KKI WARSI, IndonesiaBujang Raba is a community PES project in Jambi, on the island of Sumatra, that involves 5 village groups protecting 5,336 ha of primary rainforest. In addition to strengthening land tenure and involving local communities in sustainable forest management, the project aims to diversify income streams by implementing agroforestry activities and establishing rattan-processing facilities. “KKI Warsi has decided to partner with Plan Vivo because Plan Vivo places communities at the heart of emissions reductions projects, focusing on the many benefits beyond carbon and ensuring communities gain access to all the results of sustainable forest management.”Emmy Primadona, KKI Warsi

Colombia Mangrove REDD+ ProjectThe Colombia Mangrove REDD+ project works aims to enhance livelihoods opportunities and ecosystem resilience by involving mangrove-dependent communities in the districts of Cispata, La Balsa

and Tinajones in sustainable mangrove management. The project aims to avoid deforestation and mangrove forest degradation on 8,570 ha.

“The main reason why the project decided to be certified under the Plan Vivo Standard is because it’s a Standard that is focused on rural communities and smallholders that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, as is the case for the mangrove-dependent communities in the DMI of Cispata, La Balsa y Tinajones. The concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services is very convenient in mangrove ecosystems where

resilient ecosystems contribute to people’s livelihoods. Moreover, we consider it a flexible Standard that adapts

to different technical, legal and socio-economic contexts.”

Maria Teresa Rojas, INVEMAR

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Plan Vivo

Financial Report

Expenditure

Income

■ Wages, Salaries and NIC(52%)■ Registry Fees (13%)■ Project-related Audits(12%)■ Professional Fees (8%)■ Travel and Subsistence(4%)■ Rent (2%)■ Office and AdministrationCosts (2%)■ Conference Costs (2%)■ Other Costs (2%)

■ Incoming Resourcesfrom Administering the Standard (87%)■ Grant Income (13%)

13%

12%

52%

2%

2%2%

2%

4%

8%

13%

87%

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Annual Report 2016

Income and Expenditure

In 2015-2016, the total income generated was £139,353, comprising:

• Income of £121,797 from administering the Plan Vivo Standard→ £7,500 from Margaret Hayman Trust → £10,556 from IIED for ESPA-supported research and events

Resources expended in FY 2015-2016 amounted to £145,028, the largest expenses being:

→ £76,036 for wages, salaries and National Insurance Contributions

→ £19,452 for registry fees→ £19,296 for project-related expenses→ £11,060 for professional fees (technical, marketing, etc.)→ £5,434 in travelling and subsistence→ £3,585 in rent and premises costs→ £3,440 in office and administration costs→ £3,381 in conference costs

Environmental Footprint (Summary on page 25)

GHG emission data in tonnes of CO2e

Scope 1 (Direct, e.g. heating)

Scope 2: (Indirect energy, e.g. electricity)

Scope 3 (Other indirect, e.g. business travel)

Total Gross Emissions in tCO2e

0.206 tCO2e

0.288 tCO2e

22.137 tCO2e

22.63 tCO2e

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Plan Vivo

Financial Report 2015-2016 Narrative

SummaryThe Plan Vivo network has expanded to a record 53 projects, including 12 registered and 41 pipeline projects, with 3-5 projects expected to complete registration in 2016.

By the end of February 2016, there had been a number of notable achievements and milestones:

• 2,218,828 Plan VivoCertificates (PVCs) issued.

• From 1 March 2015 to 29 February 2016, the Foundation issued certificates representing emissions reductions of 304,679 tCO2, up 54%on the previous year.

• There were a record number of project sales, with Forest Trends2

reporting that Plan-Vivo certified projects had transacted more than860,000 PVCs (up 125% on 2014).

• The average price of Plan Vivo projects of $7.6/tCO2 comparespositively to average voluntary carbon market prices of $3.3/tCO2

• More than $14 million has been channelled into developingcountry organisations, with the Standard stipulating a minimumof 60% of certificate income paid directly to communities andsmallholders.

2 http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_5242.pdf

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Annual Report 2016

Pro-poor forestry and land-use projects speak directly to the challenges at the heart of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals, in particular biodiversity protection, poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation.

Over 100,000 rural smallholders and members of community groups are engaged in land-use planning by applying the Plan Vivo system and receiving Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES).

Certified ProjectsOther projects continue to

expand in India, Kenya, Mexico, Malawi, Nicaragua,

Tanzania and Uganda. The Nakau Programme (Loru, Vanuatu and Drawa, Fiji) was

officially launched at COP21 in Paris and

expected to register as the first PES progamme

in the Pacific Islands in June 2016. Various projects

in Indonesia, Mongolia and Colombia are expected to

register later in the year.

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Plan Vivo

Event Highlights

2015 Plan Vivo Stakeholder MeetingThe biennial Plan Vivo Stakeholder Meeting was held on 28-29 September 2015 to give project developers, project coordinators, reselling partners, buyers and researchers a platform to share experiences. The event was held in Sigtuna, Sweden, to celebrate Plan Vivo’s strong and long-lasting partnerships with Swedish partners. Since the event took place only a few days after the official adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also called Global Goals, discussions at the Stakeholder Meeting were framed by wider sustainable development agendas and co-benefits.

While Day 1 of the conference gave projects the opportunity to discuss internal project-

related queries, Day 2 was a public event that brought together a variety

of stakeholders including project coordinators, research institutions, reselling partners and buyers of

carbon credits.

The Plan Vivo chairperson, Ina Porras, delivered a keynote address that

examined the non-carbon benefits that many Plan Vivo projects deliver

and presented pathways to aligning the fantastic array of co-benefits, such as poverty

alleviation, securing land rights and biodiversity conservation, with those of the Global Goals. A panel of project coordinators presenting the co-benefits of their projects followed the keynote address. Project partners also had the chance to explain their motivations for supporting Plan Vivo projects.

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Annual Report 2016

The event ended with the signing of the official “Plan Vivo proposal towards the SDGs”, pledging to work together towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthening partnerships to support smallholders and communities in their efforts of making global ecosystems more resilient. The declaration was signed on 29th of September.

The Year Gone By

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Plan Vivo

SMS-PES conference in Kampala, Uganda

Plan Vivo secretariat staff travelled to Uganda from 25-26 March 2015, to attend a conference and technical workshop on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), jointly organised by ESPA, IIED and Ecotrust Uganda. Focusing on PES in the smallholder context, the event included presentations from the Ugandan Ministry of Water & Environment and international PES practitioners. Both

events focused on sharing workable and cost-effective solutions from on-going Plan Vivo projects, specifically focusing on financing PES schemes, how to bridge technical gaps and how to design inclusive agendas that are community-led.

PES/REDD+ conference in IndonesiaOn March 4-6 2015, The Plan Vivo Foundation participated in a conference and workshop organised by Indonesia’s PED/REDD+ Consortium in Jakarta. NGOs, companies, government agencies, project developers and donors attended the event, which was organised by ICCO, Community Forestry International and Konsortium Pendukung Sistem Hutan Kerakyatan (KpSHK). The event gave Plan Vivo an opportunity to highlight the unique benefits of Plan Vivo Certification, and strengthen its relationship with Indonesian stakeholders.

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Annual Report 2016

COP21/GLFPVF was present during the climate change negotiations at COP21 Paris and was an official exhibitor at the Global Landscapes Forum in the Food Security and Livelihoods Pavilion. Moreover, the Foundation participated in a joint presentation on Climate Justice and supported its partner project The Nakau Programme at its official launch.

Carbon Expo, Barcelona Plan Vivo staff attended the 12th

Carbon Expo in Barcelona on 26-28 May 2015, alongside

the Uganda Carbon Bureau. The Carbon Expo is the world’s

largest multi-sectorial climate finance and

carbon market conference and has become a leading

platform for understanding new policy instruments and

identifying ways to access and leverage climate finance.

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Plan Vivo

Looking Forward1. Reporting against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)As The Plan Vivo Standard has a strong focus on delivering co-benefits by improving local livelihoods and conserving biodiversity, Plan Vivo projects are inherently designed to deliver a range of benefits beyond carbon that manifest themselves in long-term sustainability drivers. The Foundation is currently working on aligning projects’ monitoring indicators with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they present a global agenda and framework for reporting on sustainable development outcomes. Over the course of the next year, the Plan Vivo Foundation will work together with its stakeholder group to consolidate reporting against the SDGs and improve communications on sustainability drivers.

2. Strengthening Plan Vivo’s Indonesian PartnershipsPlan Vivo is working with Indonesian partners to support and coordinate future opportunities with a range of Indonesian grassroots organisations wishing to develop and certify projects under the Plan Vivo projects. In order to build capacity and overcome market access barriers, the Foundation is involved in establishing a regional support network to assist organisations on the ground.

3. Developing a Certification framework for InsettingInsetting is an activity framework that strengthens the links between an organisation and its supply chain. Plan Vivo is collaborating with Pur Projet and a number of partner organisations through the International Platform on Insetting (IPI), which brings together organisations working on developing a certification framework for insetting.

4. Attending Project VerificationsAs part of the project cycle, a number of projects will undergo their 5-yearly verification in 2016. The Plan Vivo team will attend a number of strategic project verifications, such as Scolel’te and Khasi Hills, in order to audit whether projects are on track to deliver benefits as expected.

5. Shaping the Strategic Direction of the Plan Vivo FoundationAs a result of trends in Payments for Ecosystem Services, international development goals and policy landmarks such as the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the voluntary carbon market is expected to undergo changes. As part of its ongoing response to these changes, The Plan Vivo Foundation is in the process of re-forming its strategy to best support its projects and be able to attract steady demand from international partners.

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Annual Report 2016

2015/2016 Partnerships

Margaret Hayman – Core SupportThe Margaret Hayman Foundation has provided Plan Vivo with ongoing core support for its development of crucial communication channels and materials.

ESPA – Streamlining community and smallholder monitoringThe Plan Vivo Foundation continues to support the ESPA initiative “Streamlining Community and Smallholder Monitoring”, led by IIED and the University of Edinburgh and funded by Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA). The project tests different monitoring strategies for accuracy, cost and legitimacy in several Plan Vivo sites.

Pur Projet – Insetting Insetting is an emerging technique which provides a mechanism for businesses to strengthen their supply chains.

The University of Edinburgh – SHAMBAIn order to provide an alternative source of mitigation finance for projects working to introduce new agricultural practices to smallholder farmers, a team of the University of Edinburgh has been working with the Plan Vivo Foundation to develop an easy-to-use and broadly applicable methodology to assess and monitor mitigation benefits achieved by smallholders.

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Plan Vivo in the NewsEdward Loure, whose organisation (UCRT) helped secure land rights recognition in the Carbon Tanzania-coordinated project involving the Hadzabe, received the Goldman Environmental Prize.http://allafrica.com/stories/201604190717.html

Kahlil Baker, Executive Director of CommuniTree, featured in an op-ed in the Vancouver Sun about how the Plan Vivo system contributes to poverty alleviation and wider sustainable development in response to the Pope’s encyclical on climate change.

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/opinion+what+does+pope+climate+change+doctrine+mean+secular+world/11316604/story.html

The Guardian highlighted the Mikoko Pamoja mangrove project as an

example to support local livelihoods in Kenya.

h t tp : / /www. thegua rd i an .com/g loba l -development-professionals-network/2016/feb/22/the-coastal-kenyan-villages-bringing-

their-mangrove-forest-back-to-life

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Annual Report 2016

Environmental Footprint

“ We’ve used the revenue from carbon credits to purchase iron cor-rugated sheets for their house. The iron sheets have saved us from worrying about the rains since our roof no longer leaks, unlike the grass-thatched roof we had previ-ously. Our trees also provide poles for construct-ing tobacco-curing sheds and firewood for cooking. We’ve also noted that the soil fertility of our field is improving with the help of the trees they are growing.”

Dorothy and Vekelani Ntala, Participants in Trees of Hope, Malawi

Plan Vivo has again measured its Scope 1-3 carbon footprint for FY 2015-2016.

Our staff continue to endeavour to minimise their carbon footprint by

walking or cycling to their work-places, use internet video and

voice calls for most commu-nications and utilise pub-lic transport for UK-based

travel. There has been a slight increase in our carbon footprint

compared to FY 2014-2015 (17.6 tCO2), mainly due to Plan Vivo

hosting its biennual stakeholdermeeting in Sweden which implied

overseas travel for staff, trustees and our technical advisory committee. As last year, we will compensate our carbon footprint through COTAP, a trusted partner that distributes funds to 4 poverty alleviation projects in the Plan Vivo network of pro-jects. For further information, check COTAP.org

People and livelihoodsEthical climate services

Watersheds

Ecosystems

Biodiversity

Participation

Adaptation

Community Rights

Poverty Reduction

PESNative species

Transparency

Habitats