Savimbo Biodiversity Credits (MRV)

Our impact credit uses the same unit and methodology as our certified credits. All credits have full measurement, reporting, and verification. They all have full topography and ground-vetted attestations for land control. But they are sold by Indigenous groups and smallfarmers that are excluded from the market because of structural inequity. Either they don’t have full land title, or the land titles they do have can’t be corrected.

In most cases, the sellers of these credits have land tenure, or hunting rights. We think they deserve to be rewarded for protecting rare species. We hope you do too.

This uncertified biodiversity credit breaks market rules for all the right reasons. Same methodology, and full measurement, reporting, and verification as our certified biodiversity credits. But this credit is not certifying because of unfair land rights access for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

You want double impact, equity AND biodiversity, this is your credit.

Savimbo is a company created by, and for, Indigenous smallfarmers in the Colombian Amazon. 

Our aim is to employ 1 billion Indigenous Peoples and local communities in 10 years to restore the planet.

Credit Stock

Our current stock of 400k credits is from a 76,500 ha collective of >250 Indigenous smallfarmers and 4 Indigenous groups in the Tropical Andean biodiversity hotspot. Observations of indicators species are tracked and pre-validated in iNaturalist for >1 year and all smallfarmers have a 30-year conservation contract for 50% shared revenue from sales.

We have >12 Indigenous groups in 9 countries in our pipeline in either biodiversity hotspots or IUCN-threatened ecosystems and anticipate providing 178M credits to the global conservation market in the next 5 years. Direct sale from Indigenous groups and smallfarmers unfairly excluded from markets. Full monitoring, reporting, and verification. Starting at $6.50.

What is a biodiversity credit?

One hectare of ecosystem protected for one month with full data for its ecological integrity and a rating for ecosystem value (i.e. a video of an apex predator or rare species on a hectare of biodiversity hotspot). 

More information on the biodiversity unit and why it's important for global tracking here. 

How do you track impact?

We use an indicator-species biodiversity methodology written by, and for, Indigenous groups in rare ecosystems and translated to markets using applied chaos theory. 

How much biodiversity revenue goes to locals?

We’re glad you asked because this is important to us too. The answer is 50% of biodiversity revenue goes to the originating landowner. For Savimbo’s portion, ⅔ of the Savimbo’s founders are local indigenous leaders, 7% of the company is owned by successful growers, and 7% is owned by staff of which >50% is local experts.

Introduction to the Biodiversity Credit Methodology

The Savimbo Indicator Species Biodiversity Methodology (ISBM) provides a simplified framework that protects resilient ecosystems. Central to the methodology is direct payment to indigenous people and local communities (IPLC), who are the on-the-ground land guardians.

Read this for more information.