High Conservation Value (HCV) and HCSA Assessments

Updated 2026-11-02 · 4 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

HCV and HCSA assessments explained: the six HCV categories, how the High Carbon Stock Approach classifies forest, and how both apply in Indonesia.

An HCV assessment identifies High Conservation Values in a landscape (rare species, important ecosystems, critical services and community and cultural values) so they can be maintained. An HCSA assessment uses the High Carbon Stock Approach to separate forest that must be protected from degraded land that may be developed. In Indonesia they are usually done together, especially for oil palm and other plantation expansion.

These assessments came out of the plantation sector, but they are useful for anyone planning land use: carbon developers screening sites, restoration projects deciding where to plant, and companies preparing nature disclosures.

The six HCV categories

HCV 5 and 6 require direct consultation with communities. They cannot be identified from maps alone.

How HCSA works

The High Carbon Stock Approach classifies vegetation into strata, from high, medium and low density forest through young regenerating forest to scrub and open land. Forest strata are generally protected. A patch analysis then decides whether smaller or isolated forest patches are viable to conserve, based on size, shape and connectivity. The approach also integrates FPIC and community land-use planning. The HCSA toolkit sets out the procedure; check its current version.

Step-by-step: running an integrated HCV-HCSA assessment

1. Scope and team. Use licensed assessors where required. Under RSPO, assessments go through the HCV Network’s Assessor Licensing Scheme.
2. Pre-assessment desk study. Land cover, peat maps, species records, protected areas, community maps.
3. Community engagement and FPIC. Inform communities, map their land use and identify HCV 5 and 6 with them.
4. Field surveys. Vegetation plots for HCSA stratification, biodiversity surveys for HCV 1 to 3, and checks on water features for HCV 4.
5. Image classification and patch analysis. Classify land cover from satellite imagery, calibrated by field plots.
6. Integrated land-use plan. Combine HCV areas, HCS forest, peat and community land into a map of conservation and development areas.
7. Peer review and public summary, as required by the scheme.
8. Management and monitoring plan to maintain the identified values.

Using HCV and HCSA in carbon and restoration projects

• Site screening: HCV and HCS maps show where planting would harm existing values and where restoration adds most.
• Safeguards: standards require projects to do no harm to biodiversity and communities; HCV results help demonstrate this.
• Co-benefits and biodiversity credits: baseline HCV data supports later claims. See biodiversity credit methods.
• Disclosure: HCV maps are a strong starting point for the Locate phase of TNFD.

Relation to EUDR and certification

RSPO requires HCV-HCSA assessment for new plantings. ISPO, the Indonesian mandatory scheme, has its own requirements. The EUDR is separate: it uses its own forest definition and the 31 December 2020 cut-off, and does not accept certification as proof of compliance. HCV and HCSA data can still inform risk assessment for palm oil under the EUDR. See EUDR vs RSPO.

Smallholders and HCV

Full HCV-HCSA assessments were designed for company concessions. They are too costly for individual smallholders with a few hectares. For smallholder supply bases, simplified approaches are used: landscape-level screening of risk areas, participatory mapping with farmer groups, and rules such as no clearing of remaining forest or riparian zones. Certification schemes have developed simplified procedures for smallholders; check the current version that applies to your scheme.

For carbon and restoration programmes working with many farmers, a landscape-level HCV screen is usually the right starting point. It flags areas to avoid for planting, priorities for protection and community values to respect, without assessing every farm in detail.

Common mistakes

• Treating HCV assessment as a desk exercise without community mapping.
• Using outdated imagery for HCSA stratification.
• Identifying HCV areas but never funding their management.
• Assuming small forest patches have no value without running patch analysis.
• Confusing RSPO compliance with EUDR compliance.

Explore the biodiversity hub or see acoustic and eDNA monitoring for ongoing HCV monitoring. Our feasibility and eligibility service uses HCV and HCS data when screening restoration sites.