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

The World Resources Institute (WRI) has released a guidebook detailing a standardized MRV approach for local land restoration. By combining local expertise with high-resolution satellite imagery and the DINOv3 AI model, the framework can reduce verification costs by up to 98%. Tested across 200+ projects in Africa and adapted for use in India and Brazil, the system uses nine indicator categories to provide the data transparency needed to unlock outcome-based finance for small and medium-sized restoration organizations.

• WRI has developed a standardized MRV approach for local land restoration that integrates practitioner expertise with high-resolution satellite imagery and artificial intelligence. This methodology was co-created and tested with over 200 projects, primarily those financed through the TerraFund partnership in Africa.
• The use of high-resolution satellite imagery and the DINOv3 artificial intelligence model for counting and verifying trees can significantly lower costs. For the first 198 projects funded via TerraFund, WRI estimates this approach could reduce independent verification costs by 98% compared to photointerpretation or field inventories.
• The MRV framework utilizes nine categories of biophysical, socioeconomic, and financial indicators to capture quantitative and qualitative data. It is designed to be replicable across different ecosystems, countries, and cultural contexts, and has already been adapted for the Fundo Flora in Brazil and the Harit Bharat Fund in India.
• The goal of this MRV approach is to enable small and medium-sized restoration organizations to attract more funding by demonstrating measurable benefits. Specifically, it aims to facilitate 'outcome-based finance,' where payments are made for verified social and environmental outcomes rather than upfront costs.

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} }