How to Monitor, Report on and Verify a Land Restoration Project

The World Resources Institute (WRI) describes a four-step monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) process developed for the TerraFund partnership to measure the impact of land restoration projects. This system utilizes the TerraMatch platform to collect geospatial data, field reports, and satellite imagery to track indicators such as tree survival, carbon sequestration, and job creation over six-year periods.

• The MRV process utilizes three primary 'ingredients' to track restoration: geospatial polygons to define project boundaries, semi-annual progress reports for qualitative and quantitative community data, and a combination of satellite and field data for independent verification.
• To verify tree counts, the system employs an AI object-detection model that analyzes high-resolution satellite images to identify tree crowns at baseline, mid-project, and at the five-year mark. In cases where satellite imagery is unavailable or inaccurate, staff perform manual counts in sample plots and extrapolate the totals.
• The framework measures carbon stocks by combining baseline measurements from the Global Observatory for Ecosystem Services at Michigan State University (MSU) with high-resolution satellite imagery. This data is used to map current sequestration and predict estimated carbon stocks 30 years into the future to identify the most effective restoration techniques.
• Social impact is verified by cross-referencing reported job numbers with employment records, specifically analyzing gender, age, and employment status (part-time vs. full-time) to assess social equity and the creation of permanent economic opportunities.
• The TerraMatch platform serves as an end-to-end system for matching restoration champions with funding and tracking data for six years. It currently supports over 240 nonprofit organizations and enterprises in tracking their impacts.

APA

World Resources Institute (2025). How to Monitor, Report on and Verify a Land Restoration Project. https://www.wri.org/update/land-degradation-project-recipe-for-restoration

Chicago

World Resources Institute. How to Monitor, Report on and Verify a Land Restoration Project. 2025. https://www.wri.org/update/land-degradation-project-recipe-for-restoration.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=How to Monitor, Report on and Verify a Land Restoration Project |date=25 February 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/update/land-degradation-project-recipe-for-restoration |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2025how, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{How to Monitor, Report on and Verify a Land Restoration Project}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.wri.org/update/land-degradation-project-recipe-for-restoration}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }