The comments received during this public consultation and Verra’s responses were published on March 21, 2024.
Verra is opening a public consultation on the use of non-native monocultures in the VCS Program.
Currently, projects implementing afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation and wetlands restoration and conservation activities are not allowed to introduce non-native monocultures, per Section 3.19.27(3) of the VCS Standard, v4.5 (PDF).
Verra introduced this requirement following a public consultation that ran from June 27 through July 31, 2023. It was intended to help ensure that activities implemented by VCS Program-certified projects do not negatively impact ecosystem services.
Feedback on the introduction of this requirement indicated further consultation and potential refinement of the requirement was merited. Therefore, we invite comments on the proposed updates in the consultation document (PDF) especially on the questions in the “Requested Feedback” sections. Please provide feedback via the provided Google Form (external) by November 26, 2023.
The planned timeline for implementing the consultation and publishing the proposed updates is set out below.
| Tentative Timeline | Activity |
|---|---|
| October 24 – November 26, 2023 | Public consultation |
| November 27 – December 31, 2023 | Review of public consultation and other feedback |
| End of January 2024 | Publication of potential VCS Program update/clarification and consultation responses |
We look forward to your feedback. As you engage in this consultation, please let us know if you have any questions by emailing programupdates@verra.org.