Verra Nature Framework for Biodiversity Credits

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

Verra nature framework explained: how Verra's biodiversity crediting framework works, what it measures and what Indonesian projects should check first.

The Verra Nature Framework is Verra’s system for measuring and crediting improvements in biodiversity, built on its SD VISta program, and it issues nature credits that are separate from carbon credits. For Indonesian projects, it is one of the main options, with Plan Vivo’s PV Nature, for turning restoration and conservation outcomes into a sellable biodiversity unit.

What the Nature Framework is

Verra developed the Nature Framework after public consultation on biodiversity crediting. It sits within SD VISta and uses that standard’s governance, validation and verification structure. The framework defines how to:

• Measure ecosystem condition using indicators of habitat quality and species.
• Compare against a baseline or reference state.
• Express change as nature credits tied to an area and time period.
• Verify outcomes through approved auditors.

We have not verified the framework’s current version, the exact unit definition or the full list of approved modules. Check Verra’s website before designing a project, because biodiversity crediting rules are still evolving across all programs.

How nature credits differ from carbon credits

See biodiversity credits vs carbon credits for a fuller comparison.

Who uses it

• Conservation and restoration developers seeking finance for outcomes that carbon markets undervalue.
• Companies preparing nature-related disclosures, for example under TNFD. See TNFD for land companies.
• Carbon project developers looking for an additional revenue stream from the same site.

Key requirements

Expect requirements along these lines:

• Defined project area and ecosystem types, mapped with spatial data.
• Baseline condition assessment using field surveys and remote sensing.
• Indicators and metrics set by the framework or approved modules.
• Monitoring over time, repeated at each verification.
• Safeguards and stakeholder engagement, including community consent.
• Rules on double claiming where carbon and nature credits come from the same site.

Field survey design is the main cost. See biodiversity credit methods and acoustic and eDNA monitoring.

How it applies in Indonesia and Southeast Asia

Indonesia’s forests, peat swamps and mangroves hold exceptionally high biodiversity, which makes the country a natural candidate for nature credits. Practical considerations:

• Ecosystem-specific metrics. Lowland dipterocarp forest, peat swamp and mangroves need different indicators.
• Community participation. Permenhut 6/2026 frames forestry carbon as involving communities directly. Nature crediting will likely face similar expectations, and biodiversity monitoring can employ local teams.
• Legal basis. Indonesian carbon rules under Perpres 110/2025 cover carbon units, not nature credits. The domestic legal status of biodiversity units is unclear; take advice before selling. Our Indonesia regulatory navigation service tracks this.
• Stacking with carbon. Many Indonesian sites already pursue VM0047 or REDD+ credits. Nature credits can add revenue but must not double count.

Nature Framework or PV Nature?

Indonesian developers comparing biodiversity routes usually look at Verra and Plan Vivo:

Check each program’s current documents; both are evolving quickly.

Whichever route you choose, start biodiversity baselines before restoration or protection activities change the site. A baseline collected after the project starts cannot show the full change, and it is the change that nature credits pay for. Combine field surveys with remote sensing of habitat extent and condition.

Common pitfalls

• Treating it like carbon. Biodiversity units are not fungible; buyers need site context.
• Weak baselines. One-off surveys do not show change over time.
• Unclear claims. Buyers need guidance on what a nature credit allows them to say.
• Ignoring domestic law. No clear Indonesian registry pathway exists yet for biodiversity units.

Relationship to ICVCM CCP status

ICVCM’s CCP label applies to carbon credits only. There is no equivalent ICVCM label for nature credits. Biodiversity markets have their own emerging principles from other initiatives. Carbon credits from the same site still need the CCP label tests separately.

Next steps

Compare with Plan Vivo’s PV Nature, visit the biodiversity hub, or return to the standards hub. For site-level design, see our biodiversity valuation service.