Plan Vivo carbon project consulting for community led restoration, agroforestry, forest protection and smallholder land use projects.
The Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (PV Climate) is a set of requirements used to certify smallholder and community projects based on their climate, livelihoods and environmental benefits. It 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.
The Plan Vivo Standards are part of a broader Plan Vivo System, which is a framework for planning, managing and monitoring the supply of verifiable emission reductions (VERs) from community based land use projects. The project participants are small scale producers and communities in developing countries.
There are three types of PVCs as per the standard. Plan Vivo Certificates are issued for Carbon Benefits that have been achieved but not verified (rPVC), that have been achieved and verified (vPVC) or that are expected to be achieved within the Crediting Period (fPVC). fPVCs can be issued even without verification. It means even without a third party audit. Future Plan Vivo Certificates (fPVCs) can only be issued for interventions that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere e.g. tree planting and not for interventions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions e.g. reducing emissions from deforestation. The potential to receive Plan Vivo Certificates in advance of verification is an important feature of PV Climate that allows projects to secure upfront finance when it is most needed. This helps projects where most of the costs for implementing the activities come at the start of the intervention, before significant Carbon Benefits have been achieved or where verification costs are high.
Where Plan Vivo fits and who it suits
Plan Vivo is built for the projects other standards struggle to serve: smallholders, communities and land based restoration where the people doing the work own the land and the outcome. If a project is community led agroforestry, restoration or forest protection at a scale that does not fit Verra or Gold Standard cleanly, Plan Vivo is often the better home. Two features set it apart. First, upfront finance: future Plan Vivo Certificates (fPVCs) can be issued for removal projects before verification, which brings money in at the start when planting and groundwork cost the most. For a community project that is frequently the difference between starting and stalling. Second, benefit sharing: Plan Vivo requires that at least 60% of the income from certificate sales goes back to the communities on the ground, a rule the standard is internationally recognised for.
How KMS supports Plan Vivo projects
Kanaka Management Services (KMS Group) works as a consultant and developer across the full Plan Vivo path. We start by checking whether Plan Vivo is the right standard for the project against the alternatives, then design it with the community and prepare the documents the standard requires. The first formal step with Plan Vivo is the Project Idea Note (PIN), followed by the Project Design Document (PDD), independent validation and verification, certification and issuance of the rPVC, vPVC or fPVC certificates the project qualifies for. We set credible baselines and the monitoring behind them, pairing field measurement with remote sensing and GIS so the carbon and the land use change hold up under review.
The work connects naturally to forest carbon surveys on the ground and to socio-economic assessments that evidence the livelihood side Plan Vivo is built around. The point of a Plan Vivo project is that the benefit reaches the producers and communities on the ground, not just the carbon account. For how Plan Vivo sits against the other standards we work with, see our carbon credit knowledge hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Plan Vivo Standard (PV Climate)?
PV Climate is Plan Vivo’s carbon standard for community led and smallholder nature based projects, certifying them for their climate, livelihood and environmental benefits. With roots in the 1990s it is the longest standing standard in the voluntary carbon market, built around land use, restoration and forest protection where local people are central. Certified projects issue Plan Vivo Certificates (PVCs) for the carbon benefits they deliver.
What are rPVC, vPVC and fPVC certificates?
They are the three types of Plan Vivo Certificate. A vPVC is issued for carbon benefits already achieved and verified. An rPVC is for benefits achieved but not yet verified. An fPVC is a future certificate, issued for expected removals before they happen, which lets a project raise finance early.
Can Plan Vivo issue carbon credits before verification?
Yes, through future certificates (fPVCs). These can be issued for removal activities such as tree planting before a third party audit, so a project can secure upfront finance when costs are highest at the start. fPVCs are only available for removals, not for emission reduction activities like avoided deforestation.
Who is Plan Vivo best suited for?
Smallholders, communities and small scale producers in developing countries running land use projects. Plan Vivo fits community led restoration, agroforestry and forest protection where the benefits need to reach the people on the ground and where upfront finance and a workable certification path matter more than maximum scale.
How is Plan Vivo different from Verra or Gold Standard?
Plan Vivo is built specifically for community led, smallholder and nature based projects. It tends to certify smaller projects run with local people rather than large industrial ones. Its most distinctive feature is benefit sharing: Plan Vivo requires that at least 60% of the income from certificate sales reaches the communities on the ground. That requirement is what the standard is internationally recognised for.
What does KMS do as a Plan Vivo consultant and developer?
KMS supports the full path: confirming Plan Vivo is the right standard, designing the project with the community, preparing the Project Idea Note and Project Design Document, setting baselines and monitoring, then guiding the project through validation, verification, certification and issuance. Field survey is combined with remote sensing and GIS so the carbon and the land use change stand up to review.
Talk to a KMS carbon consultant
Have a community or smallholder project that might fit Plan Vivo or want to use fPVCs to fund the work upfront? Tell us about the project and we will tell you whether Plan Vivo is the right route.
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