Program Definitions: CCB Version 3

1 | Introduction

21 June 2017

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 Program Definitions: CCB Version 3

1 | Introduction

1 | Introduction
This document provides the definitions for terms used in the CCB Program
documents. Note that defined terms in the CCB Program documents, in common with ISO convention,
are used without capital first letters.

This document will be updated from time-to-time and readers shall ensure that they are using the most
current version of the document.

2 | Terms and Definitions

Accuracy Review
The review of project documents and validation and/or verification report and statement to ensure full
adherence of a validation or verification to CCB Program rules and requirements

Adaptive Management
An approach that accepts that management must proceed even without complete information. It views
management not only as a way to achieve objectives, but also as a process for probing to learn more
about the resource or system being managed. Learning is an inherent objective of adaptive management.
Adaptive management is a process where policies and activities can adapt to future conditions to improve
management success

Additionality
The requirement that the project generates real benefits that would not otherwise have occurred or
prevents harm that would have occurred in the absence of the project due to significant financial,
technological, institutional or capacity barriers

Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR)

Activities that increase carbon stocks in woody biomass (and in some cases soils) by establishing,
increasing and/or restoring vegetative cover through the planting, sowing and/or human-assisted natural
regeneration of woody vegetation

Application for CCB Verification

An instance where a project proponent submits documentation to initiate a new verification process

Authorized Representative
An entity authorized by the project proponent to communicate with and provide instructions to the VCS or
the VCS registry administrator on its behalf

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2 | Terms and Definitions

Biodiversity (Biological Diversity)

The variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within
species, between species and of ecosystems1

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

3.666 units of CO2 equal one unit of carbon (C). CO2 plays a critical role in creating and regulating the
earth’s climate

Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e)

The universal unit of measurement used to indicate the global warming potential of each of the seven
greenhouse gases (GHGs). It is used to evaluate the impacts of releasing (or avoiding the release of)
different GHGs. For global warming potentials (GWPs) of relevant GHGs, refer to relevant decisions of
the CDM Executive Board or the Verified Carbon Standard.

Carbon Pool
A reservoir of carbon; a system that has the capacity to accumulate or release carbon. Carbon pools are
measured in terms of mass (e.g., metric tons of carbon). The major carbon pools associated with forestry
projects are: live biomass (including above and below ground components, i.e., roots), dead biomass, soil
and wood products.

Carbon Stock
The quantity of carbon held within a pool at a specified time

Carbon Source
A carbon pool that is a net source of carbon to the atmosphere with less carbon flowing into it than is
flowing out of it

CCB Label
A permanent marker that is added to a GHG credit listed on a registry to indicate that the verified
emissions reductions or removals represented by that credit were issued from a project that satisfies and
is verified to the CCB rules

CCB Program
The program operated by the VCS which establishes rules and requirements that operationalize the
Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards to enable the validation of land-based projects and the
verification of climate, community and biodiversity benefits of such projects

1United Nations, 1992. Convention on Biological Diversity, Article 2. Rio de Janeiro (available at:
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1992/06/19920605%2008-44%20PM/Ch_XXVII_08p.pdf)

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2 | Terms and Definitions

CCB Rules
The rules and requirements set out in the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards, the CCB
Program Rules and other CCB Program documents, as such rules and requirements may be updated
from time to time (not the same as the document CCB Program Rules)

CCB Status
The qualification of a project with respect to the CCB Program. Approved projects are designated as
validated and/or verified. Projects that also meet optional criteria are designated as validated and/or
verified at Gold Level, indicating which of the Gold Level criteria are achieved. The First Edition of the
Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards also included Silver Level.

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

A mechanism established by Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol for project-based emission reduction
activities in developing countries. The CDM (http://cdm.unfccc.int) is designed to meet two main
objectives: to address the sustainable development needs of the host country, and to increase the
opportunities available to Treaty Parties to meet their reduction commitments. Under the CDM, Annex I
(industrialized) countries can accrue certified emission reduction units (CERs), which are tradable carbon
credits, in return for financing carbon reduction project activities in non-Annex I (developing countries)
that help further their sustainable development.

Climate Change Mitigation

The reduction of GHG emissions to achieve stabilization of GHG concentrations in the atmosphere and
subsequently a cessation of further climate change

Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA)

A partnership of CARE International, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest
Alliance and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The CCBA was founded in 2003 with the mission to
stimulate and promote land management activities that credibly mitigate global climate change, improve
the wellbeing and reduce the poverty of local communities, and conserve biodiversity. The CCBA
developed the CCB Program and managed it until 2014.

Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards

A set of criteria and indicators which are used in the design and evaluation of land management projects
that seek to simultaneously reduce or remove GHG emissions and generate positive impacts for local
communities and the local environment

Commercially Sensitive Information

Trade secrets, financial, commercial, scientific or other information whose disclosure could reasonably be
expected to result in material financial loss or gain, prejudice the outcome of contractual or other
negotiations or otherwise damage or enrich the person or entity to which the information relates

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2 | Terms and Definitions

Communities
All groups of people—including Indigenous Peoples, mobile peoples and other local communities—who
derive income, livelihood or cultural values and other contributions to well-being from the project area at
the start of the project and/or under the with-project scenario. In cases where numerous small
communities can be shown to have homogeneous patterns of social organization, political structure and
livelihoods, these communities may be identified and listed as a community. In identification of
communities, it is permitted to consider significance of user populations and of their level of use such that
distant or intermittent user groups who have very limited dependence on the site need not be defined as
communities

Community Groups
Groups whose members derive similar income, livelihood and/or cultural values and other contributions to
well-being from the Project Area and whose values are different from those of other groups; such as
Indigenous Peoples, women, youth or other social, cultural and economic groups. The number of
appropriate groups will depend on the size and complexity of the community. Indigenous Peoples are
defined as distinct social and cultural groups whose members identify themselves as belonging to an
indigenous cultural group.

Conservativeness
The principle that where accounting relies on assumptions, values and procedures with high uncertainty,
the most conservative option in the biological range should be chosen so as not overestimate GHG
removals or GHG emissions.

Corruption
The abuse of entrusted power for private gain

Customary Rights (to lands territories and resources)

Patterns of long-standing community land and resource usage in accordance with Indigenous Peoples’
and local communities’ customary laws, values, customs, and traditions, including seasonal or cyclical
use, rather than formal legal title to land and resources issued by the State (see: World Bank Operational
Manual, OP 4.10 – Indigenous Peoples, 2005. available at:
https://policies.worldbank.org/sites/ppf3/PPFDocuments/090224b0822f89d5.pdf).

Criteria (singular Criterion)

Conditions that must be met to achieve the requirements of the Climate, Community & Biodiversity
Standards. The third edition of the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards comprises 20 discrete
criteria, including 17 required criteria and three optional Gold Level criteria.

Defensible Methodological Approach

A defensible methodological approach follows good practice guidance that includes procedures for
delineating the conditions under which the methodological approach can be applied: defining the project
area; estimating any projected rates of land cover change in the without-project and with-project
scenarios; conservatively estimating without-project GHG emissions and removals; monitoring GHG
emissions over the project lifetime; defining types of leakage potential caused by project activities and

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2 | Terms and Definitions

conservatively estimating expected leakage emissions under the with-project scenario. It shall also
observe principles of relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency and conservativeness for land-
based carbon accounting; such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2006 Guidelines for
National GHG Inventories for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use 2 and the VCS Program document,
AFOLU Requirements.

Ecosystem
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment
interacting as a functional unit3

Effective Consultation
Effective consultation requires project proponents to inform and engage broadly with the communities and
other stakeholders using socially and culturally appropriate methods to enable meaningful influence on
the subject of consultation. Consultations must be gender and inter-generationally sensitive with special
attention to vulnerable and/or marginalized people and must be conducted at mutually agreed locations
and through representatives who are designated by the groups themselves in accordance with their own
procedures. Different approaches may be appropriate for different community groups or other
stakeholders.

Endemic Species
Species for which the entire global range is restricted to the site, the region or the country (the level of
endemicity must be defined)

Feedback and Grievance Redress Procedure (FGRM)

A process for receiving, hearing, responding to and attempting to resolve grievances within a reasonable
time period

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)

Free means no coercion, intimidation, manipulation, threat and bribery. Prior means sufficiently in
advance of any authorization or commencement of activities and respecting the time requirements of their
decision-making processes. Informed means that information is provided that covers (at least) the
following aspects:

1) The nature, size, pace, reversibility and scope of any proposed project or activity;

2) The reason/s or purpose of the project and/or activity;

3) The duration of the above; d. the locality of areas that will be affected;

2 IPCC 2006. 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Prepared by the National Greenhouse
Gas Inventories Programme, Eggleston H.S., Buendia L., Miwa K., Ngara T. and Tanabe K. (eds). Published: IGES,
Japan.
3 United Nations, 1992. Convention on Biological Diversity, Article 2. Rio de Janeiro (available at:

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1992/06/19920605%2008-44%20PM/Ch_XXVII_08p.pdf)

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4) A preliminary assessment of the likely economic, social, cultural and environmental impact,
including potential risks and fair and equitable benefit sharing in a context that respects the
precautionary principle;

5) Personnel likely to be involved in the execution of the proposed project (including Indigenous
Peoples, private sector staff, research institutions, government employees, and others); and

6) Procedures that the project may entail; and consent means that there is the option of withholding
consent and that the parties have reasonably understood it.

Collective rights holders must be able to participate through their own freely chosen representatives and
customary or other institutions following a transparent process for obtaining their free, prior and informed
consent that they have defined.

Forest Cover
Land with woody vegetation that meets an internationally accepted definition (e.g., UNFCCC, FAO or
IPCC) of what constitutes a forest, which includes threshold parameters, such as minimum forest area,
tree height and level of crown cover, and may include mature, secondary, degraded and wetland forests

Full and Effective Participation

Meaningful influence of all relevant rights holder and stakeholder groups who want to be involved
throughout the process, and includes access to information, consultation, participation in decision-making
and implementation and free, prior and informed consent

Full Time Equivalent

The hours worked by one person on a full-time basis, calculated as the total number of hours worked (by
full-time, part-time, temporary and/or seasonal staff) divided by the average number of hours worked in
full-time jobs within the country, region or economic territory4

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

Any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of
modern biotechnology and which is capable of transferring or replicating genetic material

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Gaseous components of the atmosphere that trap infrared heat and contribute to the Earth’s greenhouse
effect. In addition to carbon dioxide (CO2), prominent GHGs related to forests include methane (CH4) and
nitrous oxides (N2O)

Grievance
A dispute with communities and other stakeholders that may arise during project planning,
implementation and evaluation with respect but not limited to free, prior and informed consent, rights to
lands, territories and resources, benefit sharing, and participation

4 Adapted from the UN System of National Accounts (1993) paragraphs 17.14[15.102];[17.28]

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Grouped Project
A project to which additional project areas, which meet pre-established eligibility criteria, may be added
subsequent to prior validation

High Conservation Values

The six main High Conservation Values, based on the definition originally developed by the Forest
Stewardship Council for certification of forest ecosystems, but now increasingly expanded to apply to
assessments of other ecosystems5, are as follows:

1) Globally, regionally or nationally significant concentrations of biodiversity values:

a) protected areas

b) threatened species

c) endemic species

d) areas that support significant concentrations of a species during any time in their lifecycle
(e.g. migrations, feeding grounds, breeding areas);

2) Globally, regionally or nationally significant large landscape-level areas where viable populations
of most if not all naturally occurring species exist in natural patterns of distribution and
abundance;

3) Threatened or rare ecosystems;

4) Areas that provide critical ecosystem services (e.g., hydrological services, erosion control, fire
control);

5) Areas that are fundamental for meeting the basic needs of local communities (eg, for essential
food, fuel, fodder, medicines or building materials without readily available alternatives); and

6) Areas that are critical for the traditional cultural identity of local communities (areas of cultural,
ecological, economic or religious significance identified in collaboration with the local
communities).

Indicator
A quantitative or qualitative parameter that allow the assessment of whether an associated criterion is
being met. The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards include indicators under each criterion that
third-party validation/verification bodies (VVBs) use to determine whether the project in question satisfies
that particular criterion.

Improved forest management (IFM)

Activities that change forest management practices and increase carbon stock on forest lands managed
for wood products such as saw timber, pulpwood and fuelwood

5 See the HCV Network at http://hcvnetwork.org/

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2 | Terms and Definitions

Indigenous Peoples
Used in a generic sense to refer to a distinct, vulnerable social and cultural group possessing the following
characteristics in varying degrees6:

1) Self-identification as members of a distinct indigenous cultural group and recognition of this

identity by others;

2) Collective attachment to geographically distinct habitats or ancestral territories in the project area
and to the natural resources in these habitats and territories;

3) Customary cultural, economic, social, or political institutions that are separate from those of the
dominant society or culture; and

4) An indigenous language, often different from the official language of the country or the region.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Established in 1988 as a special body by the UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorological
Organization to provide assessments to policymakers of the results of ongoing climate change research,
the IPCC is responsible for providing the scientific and technical foundation for the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), primarily through the publication of periodic
assessment reports (see www.ipcc.ch)

Invasive Species
Invasive species are defined as non-native species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species in the
project zone as identified in the Global Invasive Species Database (see: http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/),
from scientific literature, and from local knowledge.

Key Biodiversity Area (KBA)

A site of global significance for biodiversity conservation that satisfy criteria based on a framework of
vulnerability and irreplaceability defined in terms of species and population threat levels7 (). The threat
levels are as follow:

1) Vulnerability

Regular occurrence of a globally threatened species (according to the IUCN Red List) at the site:

a) Critically Endangered (CR) and Endangered (EN) species - presence of at least a single
individual; or

b) Vulnerable species (VU) - presence of at least 30 individuals or 10 pairs.

6 For more information, see the World Bank Operational Manual, OP 4.10 – Indigenous Peoples, 2005 (available at:
https://policies.worldbank.org/sites/ppf3/PPFDocuments/090224b0822f89d5.pdf)
7 Langhammer, P.F., Bakarr, M.I., Bennun, L.A., Brooks, T.M., Clay, R.P., Darwall, W., De Silva, N., Edgar, G.J.,

Eken, G., Fishpool, L.D.C., Fonseca, G.A.B. da, Foster, M.N., Knox, D.H., Matiku, P., Radford, E.A., Rodrigues,
A.S.L., Salaman, P., Sechrest, W., and Tordoff, A.W. 2007, Identification and gap analysis of Key Biodiversity Areas:
Targets for comprehensive protected area systems, Best Practice Protected Areas Guidelines Series, No. 15. IUCN,
Gland, Switzerland

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OR
2) Irreplaceability
A minimum proportion of a species’ global population present at the site at any stage of the
species’ lifecycle according to the following thresholds:

a) Restricted-range species – species with a global range less than 50,000 km2 and 5% of
global population at the site; or

b) Species with large but clumped distributions – 5% of the global population at the site; or

c) Globally significant congregations – 1% of the global population seasonally at the site; or

d) Globally significant source populations – 1% of the global population at the site.

While there is wide consensus on the need for a sub-criterion for bioregionally restricted assemblages,
this sub-criterion has been excluded from the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards until
guidelines and thresholds have been agreed.

Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC

Establishes legally binding commitments for Annex I (‘developed’) countries to collectively reduce GHG
emissions. During the first commitment period, industrialized countries and the European Community
committed to reduce GHG emissions to an average of five percent against 1990 levels. During the
second commitment period, Parties committed to reduce GHG emissions by at least 18 percent below
1990 levels in the eight-year period from 2013 to 2020; however, the composition of Parties in the second
commitment period is different from the first. The Kyoto Protocol includes a set of mechanisms in addition
to domestic mitigation —such as International Emissions Trading, Joint Implementation, and the Clean
Development Mechanism—that allow countries to achieve their commitments.

Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)

The Kyoto Protocol rubric for land-based activities that have the potential to impact carbon stocks and
emissions

Leakage
Any increase in emissions of GHGs outside the project area as a result of project activities

Livelihoods
The capabilities, assets (including material and social resources) and activities required for a means of
living8

Local Law
A norm given by an organism of government whose jurisdiction is less than the national level, such as a
departmental, municipal and customary norm

8 Krantz, Lasse, 2001. The Sustainable Livelihood Approach to Poverty Reduction. SIDA

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Marginalized People or Groups

Those people or groups that have little or no influence over decision-making processes; marginalization
may be related to a range of factors including gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and religion

Materiality
The concept applied to determine if errors, omissions and misrepresentations could affect the climate,
community, or biodiversity assertions and could influence decisions resulting from those assertions

Monitoring Period
A period of time in which project activities take place, the benefits of which will be verified through the
verification process

Monitoring Report (MR)

The document that describes how the project has been implemented in accordance with its validated
design and records data to allow the assessment of net positive climate, community and biodiversity
benefits generated by the project to meet the requirements of the Climate, Community & Biodiversity
Standards during a given time period in accordance with the monitoring plan set out in the validated
project design, and which is prepared using the CCB Monitoring Report Template or the CCB & VCS
Monitoring Report Template

Native
Native species are considered those that are part of the composition of a natural representative
ecosystem of the area where the project site is located

Non-native
Species occurring outside their natural range, whether accidentally or intentionally introduced

Other Stakeholders
All groups other than communities who can potentially affect or be affected by the project activities and
who may live within or outside the project zone
Note – Other stakeholders are defined in the second edition of Climate, Community & Biodiversity
Standards as “The main groups potentially affected by the project activities that are not living on or
adjacent to the project site.” That definition applies to projects validated to the second edition only.

Permanence
The longevity of a carbon pool and the stability of its stocks, given the management and disturbance
environment in which it occurs. A feature of land-based carbon projects is the possibility of a reversal of
carbon benefits from either natural disturbances (e.g., fires, disease, pests, and unusual weather events),
or from the lack of reliable guarantees that the original land use activities will not return after the project
concludes. Strategies have been identified that mitigate potential reversals such as the non-permanence
risk analysis and buffer approach adopted by the Verified Carbon Standard Program or the establishment
of contingency carbon credits, insurance, conservation easements and mixed portfolios of projects.

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Precautionary Principle
Where there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of biological diversity, lack of full scientific certainty
should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid or minimize such a threat 9

Primary Project Proponent

Where there are multiple project proponents, the point of contact between VCS and the project

Project
A set of actions or activities applied to a defined geographical area for specific purposes

Project Area
The land area in which project activities aim to demonstrate net climate benefits

Project Description Deviation

A deviation from the project design, procedures and other specifications set out in the project description
document

Project Description (PD)

The document that describes the design of a project and the ways in which it meets each of the
requirements of the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards, and that uses the CCB Project
Description Template or the CCB & VCS Project Description Template

Project GHG Accounting Period

The time period over which changes in GHG emissions reductions and/or removals resulting from project
activities are monitored for use as offsets

Project Lifetime
The time period over which project activities are implemented; starts on the date on which activities which
aim to generate climate, community or biodiversity benefits begin

Project Ownership
The legal right to control and operate the project activities

Project Pipeline
The list of all projects on the VCS project database which have a CCB status of under validation or under
validation and verification

Project Proponent
The individual or organization that has overall control and responsibility for the project, or an individual or
organization that together with others, each of which is also a project proponent, has overall control or

9United Nations, 1992. Convention on Biological Diversity, Preamble. Rio de Janeiro (available at:
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1992/06/19920605%2008-44%20PM/Ch_XXVII_08p.pdf

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responsibility for the project. The entity(s) that can demonstrate project ownership in respect of the
project.

Project Start Date

The date on which activities that lead to the generation of GHG emission reductions or removals are
implemented.

Project Zone
The area encompassing the project area in which project activities that directly affect land and associated
resources, including activities such as those related to provision of alternate livelihoods and community
development, are implemented. If using a programmatic approach, the project zone also includes all
potential project areas (i.e., all potential new land areas in which project activities that aim to generate net
climate benefits may be implemented in the future after the initial validation).

Property Rights and Property Rights Holders

The statutory and customary tenure, use, access and/or management rights to lands, territories and
resources and the entities that have those rights, either individually or collectively

Protected Area
An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity,
and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means
equivalent to IUCN Protected Area Management Categories I-VI as well as areas that have been
proposed for protected area status by the relevant statutory body but have not yet been officially
declared, and including areas protected under international conventions.10

Public Comment Period (CCB Public Comment Period)

The process in which VCS posts project documents that are under evaluation by a validation/verification
body (VVB) for conformance with the CCB rules on the VCS project database for at least 30 days with an
invitation for submission of comments by members of the public to which the VVB must respond in the
validation/verification report

Recognized Greenhouse Gas Program

A GHG program or standard recognized by the CCB Program (see the Rules for the Use of the Climate,
Community & Biodiversity Standards)

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)

Activities that reduce GHG emissions by slowing or stopping conversion of forests to non-forest land
and/or reduce the degradation of forest land where forest biomass is lost

Reforestation
The direct human-induced conversion of non-forested land to forested land through planting, seeding
and/or the human-induced promotion of natural seed sources, on land that was forested but that has

10 See https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about/protected-areas-categories for category definitions.

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been converted to non-forested land. According to the language of the Kyoto Protocol, for the first
commitment period (2008-2012), reforestation activities are limited to reforestation occurring on lands that
did not contain forest at the start of 1990.

Scalability Limit
The scale beyond which, if new project activities are added, the project may not generate net positive
climate, community or biodiversity benefits, such as capacity limits, economic and managerial constraints,
and thresholds for project expansion beyond which there may be negative impacts on communities
and/or biodiversity

Threatened Species
A species at risk of extinction, specifically those falling into IUCN’s threat categories of Critically
Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
(www.iucnredlist.org) is the most comprehensive global standard on the status and distribution of globally
threatened species. Individual species are assigned threat categories by a network of specialist groups
which convene workshops to compile and review the best available information on species. The
categorization of species is based on a set of explicit quantitative criteria and standards which are subject
to review and continuous appraisal. Many national and local governments have developed
complementary listings of threatened species, many of which contribute towards or are informed by the
IUCN Red List. These are often available in national or regional reports, legislation or related policies.
Where species have not been evaluated by IUCN Red List or national lists, the criteria for global or
regional assessments11 could be used to assign a threat category to them. Additional national or regional
listings should also be used where these may differ from the IUCN Red List.

Threatened or Rare Ecosystems

Ecosystems (intact or not) or associations of species that have always been rare, those which are now
rare or greatly reduced, and those for which intact examples are very rare even if heavily disturbed or
degraded. IUCN is coordinating the development of an Ecosystem Red List (www.iucnrle.org). This list
will reflect extinction risks at local, regional and global levels, using the categories for threatened
ecosystems which are already used for threatened species: Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically
Endangered. Once operational, this will be an important resource for countries where little or no
information exists on national ecosystem prioritization.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The UNFCCC (http://unfccc.int), along with the Convention on Biological Diversity, emerged from the
1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The
Kyoto Protocol emerged out of the UNFCCC and sets specific timelines and timetables for reducing
industrialized nations’ GHG emissions and allows some international trading in carbon credits.

11IUCN, 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0.
Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.

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Validation/Verification Body (VVB)

An organization approved by the VCS to act as a validation/verification body in respect of providing
validation and/or verification services in accordance with the CCB rules and requirements

Validation (or CCB Validation)

The systematic, independent and documented process for the evaluation of the design of a project
against the criteria of the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards in accordance with the CCB rules

VCS Website
The VCS website: www.v-c-s.org

Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)

An independent, non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia in the
United States. The VCS is responsible for managing, overseeing and developing the program. It
maintains an impartial position and does not develop projects, nor does it provide validation, verification
or consulting services related to the CCB Program.

Verification (or CCB Verification)

The systematic, independent and documented process for the evaluation of a project’s delivery of net
climate, community and biodiversity benefits in accordance with the project’s validated design and
monitoring plan and the CCB rules

Vulnerable People or Groups

Those people or groups with high exposure to external stresses and shocks (including climate change);
and with high sensitivity and low adaptive capacity to adjust in response to actual or expected changes
due to their lack of secure access to the assets on which secure livelihoods are built (socio-political,
cultural, human, financial, natural and physical). Forest dependency may be an important factor affecting
vulnerability particularly where the project itself may change access to forest resources. In many
situations marginalization exacerbates vulnerability, e.g., marginalization by gender.

Well-being
People’s experience of the quality of their lives and may include social, economic, psychological, spiritual,
and medical dimensions. The improvement of well-being may include providing opportunity, ensuring and
enhancing security and empowerment.12

Workers
People directly working on project activities in return for compensation (financial or otherwise), including
employees, contracted workers, sub-contracted workers and community members that are paid to carry
out project-related work

12For more information, see the World Bank attacking poverty framework adapted to REDD+: Lawlor, K.; Madeira,
E.M.; Blockhus, J.; Ganz, D.J., 2013. Community Participation and Benefits in REDD+: A Review of Initial Outcomes
and Lessons. Forests (4), 296-318.

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3 | Acronyms

3 | Acronyms
AFOLU Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

ARR Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation

CCB Climate, Community & Biodiversity

CCBA Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance

CDM Clean Development Mechanism

CER Certified Emission Reductions

CO2 Carbon Dioxide

CO2e Carbon Dioxide Equivalent

CR Critically Endangered

EN Endangered

FGRM Feedback and Grievance Redress Procedure

FPIC Free, Prior and Informed Consent

FTE Full Time Equivalent

GHG Greenhouse Gas

GMO Genetically Modified Organism

GWP Global Warming Potential

HCV High Conservation Value

IFM Improved Forest Management

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

KBA Key Biodiversity Area

LULUCF Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry

MR Monitoring Report

PD Project Description

REDD Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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 Program Definitions: CCB Version 3

3 | Acronyms

VCS Verified Carbon Standard

VU Vulnerable

VVB Validation/Verification Body

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 Program Definitions: CCB Version 3

APPENDIX I: DOCUMENT HISTORY

Version Date Comment
V3.0 21 Jun 2017 Initial version released under CCB Version 3

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 Program Definitions: CCB Version 3

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