Symbiosis is focused on catalyzing and scaling nature-based carbon removals projects that meet the highest quality bar for planet and people.
We aim to integrate the most recent science and data on the climate impact of restoration while equitably involving and compensating Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
SYMBIOSIS QUALITY PILLARS guide the development of project-specific criteria. These pillars are meant to reflect the most current and rigorous science, data, and best practice. They build on existing standards and, at minimum, align with the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM) Core Carbon Principles (CCPs).
Quality Pillars
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Use conservative carbon accounting, baselining, additionality, and leakage approaches based on the latest science and data to provide high certainty of real climate mitigation.
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Create the conditions for lasting impact while monitoring, accounting for, and supporting mechanisms to fully compensate for reversals.
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Engage local communities equitably and fairly, prioritize projects that integrate local leadership throughout the project life cycle, and confer net-positive financial and social benefits that are distributed fairly.
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Provide details on project activities that enable independent evaluation of successes (e.g., over-performance) and failures (e.g., over-crediting).
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Prioritize approaches with high biodiversity and ecological value while ensuring climate benefit, and at minimum, do no net harm to ecosystems.
Project-Specific Quality Criteria
SYMBIOSIS QUALITY CRITERIA attempt to strike the balance between being specific enough to be actionable but flexible enough to allow for innovation and consideration of project specific contexts. As stated before, these criteria reflect the latest and greatest science, data, and best practice and build on existing standards, UN’s 10 Principles for Ecosystem Restoration to Guide the United Nations Decade 2021-2030, and Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s Core Carbon Principles.
Symbiosis will review and update its quality criteria on an annual basis (at minimum) in partnership with independent, third-party experts and its Technical Advisory Board to reflect lessons learned, emerging science, standard changes, and best practice.
During the RFP process, Symbiosis intends to provide additional guidance beyond the criteria listed below to aid project developers in submitting their applications and intends to tailor that guidance to project stage as much as possible. This guidance could include specific examples of desired data and evidence or draft templates for analyses.
Symbiosis also acknowledges that project developers may have limited in-house expertise or resources to conduct the analyses and efforts it requests. As such, Symbiosis will endeavor to connect project developers with organizations that could provide technical or financial support in developing a project design that meets the Symbiosis quality criteria.
These quality criteria were specifically designed for ARR projects (projects that increase tree density up to an ecologically appropriate level), inclusive of agroforestry but excluding mangroves.
Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) Projects
The Coalition will next align on quality criteria for mangrove restoration projects. Have insight to share? Let us know.
