Aims of the Natural Forest Standard
Environmentally positive
Promote the conservation and restoration of natural forests for the benefit of local communities and society in general.
Scientifically Robust
Quantify carbon and other ecosystem benefits using scientific and evidence-based methods.
Transparency
Encourage improved management through transparent reporting and evaluation of actions.
global importance
Recognise the global importance of natural forests in climate regulation and maintenance of biodiversity.
Key attributes of the NFS
The NFS is a robust, easy to manage jurisdictional REDD+ crediting program. It is designed to mobilise resources for the conservation and restoration of natural forests in ways that benefit local communities as well as ensuring there is no net loss of biodiversity in the project areas.
The functionality of the Standard optimises the time requirements of bringing projects from initial implementation to credit issuance in the most responsive, efficient timescale possible, whilst also keeping the integrity and transparency that are essential to the credibility of the Standard.
The ECO NFS is unique in its design as it has the project developers needs in mind, whilst incorporating the integrity of stringent eligibility criteria with efficient independent, third-party validation and verification processes.
The ECO-NFS focuses on protecting natural forests through avoided deforestation and degradation and by restoring natural forest which has already been degraded.
The standard integrates the protection of forests and biodiversity while providing support and benefits to local communities.
The standard employs the use of approved carbon maps and carbon risk indices.
The standard’s integrated certification system provides transparency and efficient processing of projects.
The standard aims to minimise transaction costs and delays with an uncomplicated process.
The standard offers certification of biodiversity benefits in addition to carbon using a Normative Biodiversity Metric.
ECO-NFS provides a unified risk-based method for generating a baseline and BAU scenario of projects.