Step 1 - Project boundaries

• Each project site needs to be mapped using GPS surveys, drone mapping, and/or high or medium resolution satellite imagery. Coorest will provide project owners with a basic manual on how to use smartphones for mapping project boundaries. Mapping will need to fulfill the following criteria:

• The projects may include homogeneous vegetation (single tree species plantation), mixed vegetation (different tree species plantation), or agroforestry methods. Project owners should map their project sites following a single consistent method, and they will be able to use the instructions included in the basic manual that Coorest provides for all types of projects. Nevertheless, project owners should indicate what kind of project they wish to onboard; if a project includes mixed vegetation or agroforestry, project owners should provide Coorest with all necessary information, such as the number of different tree species and how many hectares of different tree species have been or will be planted. If a project includes homogeneous vegetation, project owners must map the project area and provide information regarding the number of planted trees. In case the project has not yet started, the map must indicate the boundaries of the planned activities.

  • For each area, the total surface area needs to be estimated using a geographic information system (GIS) or a smartphone application (for which a manual will be provided). Area calculations should be done using the local projected WGS84 UTM coordinate system. The area should be reported in hectares with two digits (eg. 23.03 ha). More digits are acceptable, but not fewer;

  • For all mapped areas official ownership or other long-term rights agreement should be provided. These contracts should last for at least 20 years from the moment the Onboarding Agreement is signed;

  • Data should be created with a scale of 1:5,000. This is roughly equivalent to a GPS survey for which every five (5) meters a waypoint is recorded; and

  • Spatial data should be provided in SHP, KML, or GPX format. (manual will be provided).