News published: 17 May 2023

The Global Biodiversity Standard is being developed to specifically recognise and promote the protection, restoration, and enhancement of biodiversity. The certification aims to provide assurance that tree planting, habitat restoration and agroforestry practices are protecting, restoring, and enhancing biodiversity. A draft methodology of the Global Biodiversity Standard has been developed and is now available for technical consultation.

Development of the Global Biodiversity Standard methodology

The partners of the Global Biodiversity Standard are collaboratively developing and testing the assessment process for the Global Biodiversity Standard. Development of the methodology is led by the technical partners of the standard: Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), World Agroforestry Centre – CIFOR-ICRAF, TRAFFIC, Ecosia, The Plan Vivo Foundation (PVF) and 1t.org. The methodology is being tested by the regional hub partners across six biodiverse countries: Jardim Bôtanico Araribá (Brazil), Huarango Nature (Peru), Auroville Botanical Gardens (India), Missouri Botanical Gardens Madagascar (Madagascar), Centre for Ecological Restoration – Kenya (Kenya) and Tooro Botanical Gardens (Uganda). This methodology is still under development, with a draft version available online. A manual for Global Biodiversity Standard is currently under construction and will be available when officially launched. The methodology involves:

1. An online application form
   Available online in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
2. A remote sensing assessment
3. A field survey assessment
   Available online in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish

Technical Consultation

Technical consultation of the Global Biodiversity Standard is now open. We invite technical experts in ecological restoration, biodiversity conservation, remote sensing, forestry and global policy and frameworks to provide feedback on the current iteration of the methodology. The consultation process helps us to guarantee:

1. The standard promotes best practices in ecological restoration;
2. The standard is rigorous and scientifically robust;
3. The standard drives behavioural change amongst tree-planting organisations;
4. The standard aligns with global policy and frameworks.

The consultation period is open for 30 days until 14th June 2023.

The technical consultation form can be found here.