Native’s proprietary ABC methodology assesses each project across several distinct scores and metrics including Additionality, Biodiversity and Community. As buyers buy Squares from different projects, these scores are then aggregated and displayed transparently on buyers’ impact dashboard. This allows buyers to quantify both the existing carbon and biodiversity value within a Square, the social impact that their money will have on local communities as well as forecasting the likelihood that their financial intervention will prevent ecological loss and carbon release. 

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Tonnes of Carbon:  We measure in situ carbon density per Square. 

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Additional CO₂e: We analyse the tonnes of CO₂e that will be sequestered within each Square over the next 40 years that are additional to those that would occur in the absence of the project. This figure is calculated using counterfactuals: i.e. by observing what has happened to similar nearby areas over the previous 10 years. These counterfactuals were identified and analysed using methods developed by Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits (4C). This figure is inherently uncertain since it involves assessing what will happen to the ecosystem 40 years into the future, both with and without intervention. It should therefore be taken as a rough estimate which will fluctuate as we test our assumptions against reality over time. Even if these assumptions are entirely accurate, this figure should not be used to offset tonnes of carbon emitted today due to the time lags involved in tonnes which would be lost over the next 40 years.

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CO₂e offset: The number of tonnes of CO2e that have been sequestered within each Square to date that are additional to those that would occur in the absence of the project. This figure is also assessed using counterfactuals provided by 4C with the difference that it is backwards looking and based on observation rather than speculation. It can therefore be used as offsets for present day emissions. This figure updates annually. These can be used as offsets.

Additionality: A % out of 100 calculated by taking the additional CO₂e of a Square (calculated over a 40 year period) and dividing it by the total CO₂e currently sequestered within the Square. This reflects the extent to which the project has been pivotal in affecting conservation outcomes.

Biodiversity: A % out of 100 calculated by a basket of metrics including intactness, species count, the presence of endemic species, and the percentage of those at risk of extinction. This reflects the value of in situ biodiversity within the project.

Community: A % out of 100 calculated by examining how thoroughly the project consults and includes the views of local indigenous populations, and considering how investment will impact a range of social impact metrics from education to healthcare. This reflects the impact of the project on local indigenous populations.

Our ABC methodology embraces the complexities of the natural world and the nuances of additionality, moving away from the binary model dominating current carbon markets. For instance, a Square of virgin rainforest, though facing minimal deforestation threat, would score high on biodiversity and community but lower on additionality. Conversely, a newly planted pine monoculture might rank high on additionality due to the carbon sequestration potential but low on biodiversity and community. Both projects contribute to the mitigation of climate and biodiversity loss in different ways to suit different types of buyers, and neither should be excluded because of misplaced emphasis on the importance of additionality and carbon alone.