ABC Methodology
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.
Tonnes of Carbon: We measure in situ carbon density per Square.
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, and then projecting those figures into the future (ex ante). This figure is inherently uncertain since it involves assessing what will happen to the ecosystem in 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. This figure updates annually.
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. Like the additional CO2e figure it is calculated using counterfactuals, with the difference that it is backwards looking (ex post) and based on observation rather than forwards looking and based on extrapolation (ex ante). This figure is expected to increase as the disparity between the forest cover within the project and forest cover within the counterfactuals increases over time. These figures are then discounted for permanence and leakage. 4C’s methodology is the most rigorous carbon methodology that Native is aware of and the figure stated is likely an under-estimate. It can therefore confidently be used as offsets for present day emissions. This figure updates annually.
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. Ultimately all these scores are different ways of thinking about the ecosystem services each Square provides.
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.
It is important to note that all these scores are always provisional. As the project develops and as we gather more data, both from on-the-ground sources and satellite imaging, these scores will be continually reviewed and might go up as well as down. In the case of any uncertainty, Native’s scores are always conservative.