Land Restoration From Planting to Proof: A Guide to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification

The World Resources Institute (WRI) has developed a cost-efficient MRV framework for land restoration that integrates local practitioner knowledge with high-resolution satellite imagery and artificial intelligence. Tested across more than 200 projects via the TerraFund partnership in Africa, the approach uses nine indicator categories to capture biophysical, socioeconomic, and financial data. By utilizing the DINOv3 AI model and satellite data, WRI estimates that independent verification costs can be reduced by up to 98% compared to traditional field inventories. The framework is designed for replication across various ecosystems and has already been adapted for use in India and Brazil to support outcome-based finance mechanisms.

• WRI's MRV approach integrates local practitioner expertise with high-resolution satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to collect and communicate high-quality data on land restoration progress.
• The use of high-resolution satellite imagery and the DINOv3 artificial intelligence model for counting and verifying trees can reduce independent verification costs by as much as 98% compared to photointerpretation or field inventories.
• The MRV framework captures quantitative and qualitative project progress data across nine distinct categories covering biophysical, socioeconomic, and financial indicators.
• The methodology was developed and tested through the TerraFund partnership in Africa across more than 200 projects and has since been adapted for the Harit Bharat Fund in India and Fundo Flora in Brazil.
• The guidebook aims to enable 'outcome-based finance,' a model where financiers pay for verified social and environmental results rather than upfront costs to limit financial risk.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Land Restoration From Planting to Proof: A Guide to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification. https://www.wri.org/research/land-restoration-planting-proof-guide-monitoring-reporting-and-verification

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Land Restoration From Planting to Proof: A Guide to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/land-restoration-planting-proof-guide-monitoring-reporting-and-verification.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Land Restoration From Planting to Proof: A Guide to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification |url=https://www.wri.org/research/land-restoration-planting-proof-guide-monitoring-reporting-and-verification |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendland, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Land Restoration From Planting to Proof: A Guide to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/land-restoration-planting-proof-guide-monitoring-reporting-and-verification}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }