Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is key to ensure that High Conservation Values are robustly identified and protected.

Sustainable Development Goal 15 – Life on Land

Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

61

Licensed Assessors from 16 countries

70

Quality Panel members from 27 countries

182

HCV assessment reports submitted for evaluation

147

HCV-HCSA assessment reports submitted for evaluation

2,391,950.96

Hectares assessed (from 248 satisfactory reports)

749,252.54

Hectares identified for protection (from 248 satisfactory reports)

To protect High Conservation Values, users need to understand and effectively implement the HCV Approach.

To protect High Conservation Values (HCVs), users need to understand and effectively implement the HCV Approach. The Network does this by providing guidance, learning opportunities, technical support, and quality assurance. To date, quality assurance has mainly focused on high risk developments.

Given the number and diversity of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), as well as stakeholders outside certification, that have made commitments to identify and protect HCVs, the Network is working to develop quality assurance options commensurate to the level of risk posed to HCVs – both inside and outside of certification. These services could span across risk levels and geographic scales and be available to all interested parties.

Services

Quality assurance for high-risk developments

The HCV Network launched the Assessor Licensing Scheme (ALS) in 2014 to ensure robust identification of HCVs and HCVs alongside High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests in high-risk settings.

Better Cotton, Rainforest Alliance, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) Steering Group require ALS quality assurance.

The ALS conducts desk-based evaluations of reports produced by professionals licensed to lead HCV or HCV-HCSA assessments.

Professionals who wish to become licensed to lead HCV or HCV-HCSA assessments must comply with the Application Requirements, including the payment of a license application fee (USD 575).

Evaluations are done by a Quality Panel and can have up to three attempts to achieve a satisfactory mark. The scheme is constantly improving with support from its participants, interested stakeholders, and the Network’s Management Committee.

Initial Checks

Initial checks reduce the likelihood of unsatisfactory results during ALS evaluation of HCV or HCV-HCSA assessment reports. Professionals licensed to lead HCV or HCV-HCSA assessments can hire this service to receive feedback within five working days on how their report can be improved prior to submission.

Initial Checks cost US $575 for HCV assessment reports, and US $880 for HCV-HCSA assessment reports.

If you would like to submit an Initial Check, please complete this form.

For more information, please contact secretariat@hcvnetwork.org.

Report Evaluations

See report evaluation
here

Complaints & Investigations

For more information, click here.

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Related Documents

Document Title

Application Requirements for Prospective Licensed Assessors

This document sets the requirements for becoming a licensed assessor under the HCV Network (HCVN) Assessor Licensing Scheme (ALS).

Document Type
Date of Publication

July 17, 2024

Country
Organisation

Quality Assurance
Document Title

ALS Specification (2023)

This document explains why the Assessor Licensing Scheme(ALS) was created and how it works. It is a useful resource for prospective assessors, current assessors and Organisations commisioning assessments.

Document Type
Date of Publication

September 21, 2023

Country
Organisation

Quality Assurance
Document Title

HCV-HCSA Manual update 2023- Summary of proposed changes

This document summarizes the changes from the HCV-HCSA Manual 2017 to the HCV-HCSA Manual 2023

Document Type
Date of Publication

June 28, 2023

Country
Organisation

Quality Assurance
Document Title

HCV-HCSA Assessment Manual (2023)

Document Type
Date of Publication

June 28, 2023

Country
Organisation

Quality Assurance

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