Indicator-Species Biodiversity (IPLC-first)

In short

IPLC-first method built on indicator-species field observation. Its interoperable unit (one hectare for one month, graded by measured integrity) is adopted by Cercarbono's CBC and designed for Kunming-Montreal / NBSAP accounting, with an explicit anti-offsetting stance. Maps directly onto community AudioMoth / camera-trap monitoring.

What it is

The Savimbo Indicator Species Biodiversity Methodology (ISBM) is a biodiversity crediting method developed by Savimbo, an Indigenous led company, to direct funding to Indigenous peoples and local communities conserving intact ecosystems. It relies on indicator species, verified through non-invasive monitoring such as game cameras, photographs, and audio recordings, as evidence that an ecosystem is functionally intact. A Voluntary Biodiversity Credit represents 30 days of one hectare of protected ecosystem, with a value set by the baseline ecosystem category and the indicator species integrity score.

What it rewards

The reward is a credit called a Savimbo Biodiversity Credit (VBC). One credit stands for one hectare of healthy ecosystem kept protected for one month. A verified, nature-positive biodiversity outcome. A whole period of work is issued as one batch of credits at a time, in the same way a registry issues a batch.

What gets measured

To earn VBC credits, a project has to measure and prove a few things. An independent reviewer checks the evidence before any credits are issued.

• Indicator-species presence. Detection of a qualifying indicator species evidences a functionally-intact ecosystem.

• Georeferenced, time-stamped raw evidence. Observations require raw audio/video/photo + datetime + geocode in decimal degrees.

• Indicator integrity score. Each species carries an ecosystem-integrity ratio (0–1) from public data / TEK.

• IUCN category & CITES listing. Rarity / threat drives the value of the observation.

• Indicator type (Rar/End/Umb/Key/Emb). Species are classed as rarity, endemic, umbrella, keystone or emblematic indicators.

• Sensor deployment effort. Camera-trap / AudioMoth effort (trap-nights) contextualises machine observations.

Who takes part

• Standard Registry. Owns the policy, approves participants, anchors each issuance to its evidence.

• Project Proponent. Registers the project and submits monitoring reports.

• Validation & Verification Body. Independently validates the design and verifies monitored data.

How it works

1. 1

   The project team registers the project and its plan.

2. 2

   An independent reviewer checks that the plan is sound and that the benefit is real and would not have happened anyway.

3. 3

   The team looks after the site and measures the agreed indicators over time.

4. 4

   The independent reviewer verifies those measurements.

5. 5

   Credits are issued for the verified result, and a buyer can retire a credit to claim the benefit once.