TerraFund is pioneering a new approach to support locally led restoration projects and set a new global standard for restoration implementation. To understand and learn from what is happening on the ground, WRI and our partners have designed practical methods that provide reliable, repeatable and robust data to monitor projects throughout their entire lifecycle.
The data supporting TerraFund MRV comes from a few different sources: project reports, remote sensing methods, field monitoring methods, and application data. Funded projects are required to regularly submit project reports every six months on TerraMatch. That data will then be verified with independent sources of information, such as through remote-sensing and field monitoring methods, to cross-check and confirm the accuracy and completeness of reported progress.
Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) is conducted via TerraMatch, which we use:
- For project developers to submit three types of reports (site, nursery, and project)
- For WRI to share summary results of progress back to project developers and funders.
Funded projects will be expect to report every six months on the indicators listed below, which can be found in all their details within our monitoring, reporting, and verification framework, accessible here.
Tier 1 Indicators: All Projects
The number of trees that restoration champions plant, including through assisted natural regeneration, as reported through 6-month progress reports. Number of trees planted is disaggregated by site, species type, and percent native species.
Number of seedlings grown in nurseries for planting across sites and projects, disaggregated by species type. Nursery tree count is an intermediary progress indicator for the number of trees planted/grown. In the early stages of project implementation, when seedlings or saplings have not been planted, projects can still report progress on their seedlings, showing partners and investors that their trees restored target is in progress.
Number of trees counted refers to the number of trees verified through remote sensing or field monitoring techniques. Compared with the self-reported "Number of trees planted,"" Number of trees counted" is based on an independent data source to verify progress towards each project’s tree restoration target. Data collected towards this indicator is collected at Year 0, Year 3 and/or as needed, and Year 6, allowing TerraFund to evaluate change in tree count per Indicator 1.3.c. below.
Similar to "Number of trees counted," "Number of trees restored" refers to the number of trees verified through remote sensing or field monitoring techniques at Year 6. The purpose of this indicator is to verify the number of trees that have been restored and survived at the end of the TerraFund project cycle.
Change in tree count is another iteration of "Number of trees counted." This indicator refers to the change in the number of trees that have been verified using remote sensing or field monitoring techniques. Data collected towards this indicator is collected as needed throughout the project and at least at Year 0 and Year 6, allowing TerraFund to evaluate change in tree count within restoration areas between baseline and 6 years after project implementation. The purpose of this indicator is to understand survival rates of trees that were planted at the beginning of the project.
This indicator evaluates change in the percentage of tree cover within restoration areas between baseline and 6 years after project implementation. The Tropical Tree Cover (TTC) dataset and analyses establish Year 0 tree cover, Year 3 tree cover, and Year 6 tree cover, as well as the change in tree canopy cover for all sites in a project. This indicator shows the growth of trees over the lifetime of the project. The result can be used for adaptive management. For example, if a project used the same methods in two sites, but have different changes in tree cover percent across the project lifetime rate, this insight can be used to understand the contributing factors of project success and/or failure (e.g. soil type, aspect, slope, project size, planting month).
This protocol generates data on the number of trees of a certain size visible within the plot at Year 0, Year 3, and Year 6, developed from best available satellite data. The method is used as an independent data source to measure progress towards each project’s tree restoration target.
The main way TerraFund monitors survival rate is through independent remote sensing and field monitoring techniques as noted in indicators 1.3. - 1.4. For risk management purposes, TerraFund also collects self-reported data on survival rate of planted trees. This is optional data that projects have the opportunity to provide in their 6-month progress reports. Many projects may already be estimating survival rate as part of their own management and monitoring practices. Others may refer to TerraFund's survival rate guidance if they would like to calculate survival rate.
Hectares under restoration refers to total land measured in hectares with active restoration intervention based on polygons submitted by projects. Hectares under restoration is disaggregated by site, target land use, and restoration practice. The total land measured in hectares with active restoration intervention, disaggregated by intervention.
Hectares by target land use and restoration practice − The total land measured in hectares with active restoration intervention, disaggregated by target land use systems: agroforest, open natural ecosystem, natural forest, peatland, riparian area / wetland, silvopasture, urban forest, and woodlot / plantation. The restoration practices are: tree planting, assisted natural regeneration, and direct seeding. Polygons and related attribute tables are critical to the monitoring of all indicators of biophysical progress. They are the basis for generating accurate tree count, tree cover, and data for other indicators within each site area over the lifetime of the project.
TerraFund defines a job as a set of tasks and duties performed by one person aged 18 or over in exchange for monetary pay in line with living wage standards. All indicators in the Jobs Created category are disaggregated by number of women, number of men, and number of youth. Restoration Champions will be required to report on jobs and volunteers every 6 months and provide additional documentation to verify employment.
Description: This indicator measures the number of full-time employees working on projects funded by TerraFund. Full-time employees are people that are regularly paid for their work on the project and are working 35 or more hours per week throughout the year. Individuals counted towards this indicator must be directly employed by the project, as reflected on employment records. People employed indirectly, for example through partners or subcontractors, or contracted service providers, are not counted towards this indicator and are instead reflected under livelihoods and benefits indicators.
This indicator measures the number of part-time employees working on projects funded by TerraFund. Part-Time Employees are people that are regularly paid for their work on the project and are working less than 35 hours per week throughout the year. This includes seasonal, temporary, and casual workers who work less than 35 hours per week. Individuals counted towards this indicator must be directly employed by the project, as reflected on employment records. People employed indirectly, for example through partners or subcontractors, or contracted service providers, are not counted towards this indicator and are instead reflected under livelihoods and benefits indicators.
A volunteer is an individual that freely dedicates their time to the project because they see value in doing so, but does not receive payment for their work. For example, they may volunteer their time because of a personal interest in environmental causes, or because they believe restoration efforts will benefit their community, or as part of their educational pursuits. Volunteers must work directly on the project. Paid workers or beneficiaries who do not dedicate their time to the project are not considered volunteers.
Champions are asked to report on the estimated number of local community members who have received direct benefits from the projects, the types of benefits, and the demographic categories of people broken down by women, men, youth, and smallholder farmers. A direct benefit is defined as an immediate and tangible value a project provides to target groups and local communities. In most cases these benefits support livelihoods and well-being of recipients, such as food and agricultural products, seedlings, or access to savings and loans, and the number of recipients of benefits is straightforward to estimate. Direct benefits are different from jobs and increased skills and knowledge, which are tracked separately from benefits.
Champions also have the opportunity report the estimated number of people receiving indirect benefits from the project. An indirect benefit refers to downstream value realized as an indirect result of a project's restoration efforts, unintentionally or intentionally, for example people in a neighboring community who have improved water quality or food security as a result of restoration efforts. The number of people receiving indirect benefits may be more complicated to estimate, but champions will have the opportunity to explain how they calculated these estimates.
Many champions offer trainings and other skills-building and capacity strengthening opportunities to local community members. This indicator captures people the project trained, for example in restoration or agriculture techniques, or in business development or other capacities relevant to the project.
Many champions support income-generating activities to help local farmers and community members supplement their incomes. These may include supporting beekeeping activities, livestock keeping, aquaculture, or other income-generating activities. Champions report on whether or not they are supporting income-generating activities, and describe the nature of these activities.
Local community engagement and leadership is about promoting local agency and decision-making in restoration activities, aligned with a locally led approach to restoration. In the interest of effective and sustainable restoration efforts, we expect all projects to maintain close engagement with local communities, and especially women and youth in those communities, so they benefit from restoration work, and their needs and voices are included in restoration planning and practice.Community engagement and leadership indicators include indicators that TerraFund tracks based on the make-up of the portfolio of TerraFund projects, as well as indicators that projects report on. Indicators based on the make-up of the TerraFund portfolio are:
In reports, champions are asked to share the ways they are ensuring women and/or youth in particular are able to influence restoration decisions, and how they are addressing barriers these groups may face to accessing decision-making.
In reports, champions are asked to share the ways they addressing local community priorities, and how they identified those priorities.
Percentage of projects and finance allocated to projects that are led by local people, women, and youth. TerraFund aims to ensure that funds provided are fair and equitable and allocation also provided for vulnerable groups such women led and youth led organizations and those working with indigenous communities. This is broken down into:
- Percent of finance allocated to women-led organizations
- Percent of finance allocated to youth-led organizations
- Percent finance allocated to local organizations
- Percent finance allocated to organization applying a locally led approach
- Amount of additional funding leveraged by women-led and youth-led organizations after receiving a TerraFund investment.
Description: This indicator tracks financial performance over the course of the project. The required information for this will be different for non-profits and enterprises. Projects will submit a financial report annually in order to track efficient use of funds for non-profits; growth in revenue & profit for enterprises
- All Organizations: Annual custom financial reports Percent of budget spent of total approved and within each line item
- Enterprises: Annual audited financials
- Income and percent change in revenue in audited financials
- Income and percent change in profit in audited financials online repayment tracker, updated weekly
- Percent of enterprises repaying loans on time
- Percent of finance repaid by borrowers
- Percentage of projects accessing market-based finance, which includes all non-grant-based finance, e.g., loans, equity investments, or carbon credits.
- Percent of projects accessing market-based finance Percent of total finance allocated as debt or equity
- Income of external finance catalyzed for projects
- Number of external investments catalyzed for projects
Tier 2 Indicators:
No TerraFund restoration champions are required to report on the Tier 2 indicators. A small group of restoration champions will be selected to invited information about the following categories, with support from WRI.
Metric tons of CO2 stored by project after 6 years. In pilot. Coming Soon in 2024.
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