Post by Forestbase

𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐤. Over the past weeks, community members and field teams have been working together to map the territory across the project zone in Meta, Colombia. Using QGIS, offline mapping tools, and GPS-enabled mobile devices, local monitors are being trained to conduct property measurements, boundary surveys, and spatial data collection directly in the field. This work is a fundamental part of developing a REDD+ project under VERRA’s VM0048 methodology. Accurate geospatial data is needed to properly define intervention areas, support monitoring systems, and strengthen the technical credibility of the project over time. In addition, it strengthens and enhances local capacity and encourages ownership of the project from the earliest stages. A lot of the work behind high-integrity carbon projects happens long before certification. It starts in the field, together with the people who know the territory best.