News published: 30 March 2026

• Experts warn restoration projects risk biodiversity harm without independent verification;
• 258 conservation and restoration experts have signed a peer-reviewed open letter calling for independent biodiversity verification in restoration finance;
• The letter states that 90% of the world’s largest corporations involved in restoration fail to report a single ecological outcome;
• It identifies The Global Biodiversity Standard – a not-for-profit assurance mechanism operational in 15 countries – as the benchmark for credible, site-based verification.

A peer-reviewed open letter published 24 March 2026 in Plants, People, Planet calls on policymakers, funders, investors and philanthropists to require independent, site-based biodiversity certification as a condition of financing restoration projects. The letter, signed by 258 conservation and restoration experts from across six continents, argues that, despite billions of dollars flowing into landscape restoration under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, biodiversity accountability has not kept pace. Global restoration efforts continue to be defined by inputs – trees planted, hectares pledged – rather than measurable improvements in ecosystem integrity, species recovery and long-term resilience.

The scale of the problem is stark. According to the letter, 90% of the world’s largest corporations involved in restoration fail to report a single ecological outcome, leaving investors and policymakers unable to demonstrate that their money is generating real value. Poorly designed projects risk compounding the damage: restoration schemes based on monocultures or
non-native species can actively degrade ecosystems, at a time when 38% of the world’s tree species are already threatened with extinction.

“We desperately need restoration projects to be focused on biodiversity. I find it deeply worrying the number of restoration projects globally that are done without prioritising native biodiversity as the key metric. Sadly, this too often leads to projects failing, which is something we can ill afford when considering the joint biodiversity and climate crisis.” – Lucy Rowland, Professor, University of Exeter and signatory

The letter identifies The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) as an existing operational solution for independent, site-based biodiversity verification. The not-for-profit standard assesses whether biodiversity outcomes are credible, appropriate and improving over time through site-based assessments grounded in ecological science and local expertise. TGBS works alongside existing standards and finance mechanisms, without delivering projects or issuing credits.

“Restoration done well is one of the most powerful tools we have to reverse, mitigate and adapt to the dual biodiversity and climate crises. Done poorly, it can degrade ecosystems, entrench monocultures and divert finance from high-integrity projects. The next phase of restoration must be defined not by scale alone, but by credible ecological outcomes. I’m encouraged to see this conversation entering the mainstream. The challenge now is to ensure that biodiversity is not assumed, but demonstrated.” – Dr David Bartholomew, CEO, The Global Biodiversity Standard

The letter calls on funders and policymakers to require independent certification as a condition of finance, mobilise local expertise, shift the definition of success from process metrics to ecological outcomes, and consider adopting TGBS as the benchmark for credible verification.

It comes at a pivotal moment for nature finance. New frameworks, including the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) are driving greater scrutiny of corporate and financial impacts on nature. As the letter argues, only through credible, site-based monitoring and independent verification can financiers avoid greenwashing, rebuild trust and provide assurance that investments are delivering measurable gains for biodiversity.

For media enquiries, including interview requests, contact: Jen Stebbing, Media advisor, hello@jenstebbing.com

About The Global Biodiversity Standard

The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) is an independent assurance standard that assesses whether biodiversity outcomes in nature-based restoration projects and programmes are credible, appropriate and improving over time. TGBS provides site-based assessment grounded in ecological science and local expertise, helping funders, governments, and investors understand biodiversity risk and performance. A not-for-profit organisation, TGBS works alongside existing standards and finance mechanisms, without delivering projects or issuing credits.

Notes to editors
1. The open letter ‘The need for a site-based biodiversity standard measuring and certifying impacts from nature-based projects’ is published in Plants, People, Planet (DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.70169): https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70169. It may be freely shared and cited under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.
2. Plants, People, Planet is a multi-disciplinary open access journal owned by the New Phytologist Foundation and published by Wiley. The New Phytologist Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of plant science.
3. The Global Biodiversity Standard was founded by Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Society for Ecological Restoration. The methodology was developed separately from the entity responsible for certification, reflecting best practice governance used in international standards systems.
4. The statistic that 90% of the world’s largest corporations involved in restoration fail to report a single ecological outcome is drawn from: Lamont et al. (2023). The statistic that 38% of the world’s tree species are threatened with extinction is drawn from: IUCN (2024). Both are cited in the open letter.
5. Additional signatory quotes:

“Biodiversity is one of the most important outcomes of land management projects, but also one of the most challenging to assess thoroughly. TGBS plays an unprecedented contribution to the sector for establishing a comprehensive, standardised, and science-based set of standards for monitoring, which will shed light on the real impacts of restoration on biodiversity.” – Professor Pedro Brancalion, Professor of Tropical Forestry at the University of São Paulo

“I call upon governments, international organisations and the private sector to support recognition of TGBS as one of the key instruments for implementing National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, following the example set by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia.” – Sandagdorj Bayarkhuu, Doctor, Biosafety Research Institute, Mongolia

“The Global Biodiversity Standard provides a critical framework to ensure that restoration and nature-based solutions deliver measurable outcomes for biodiversity. Without this level of rigor, we risk investing in efforts that fail to protect the world’s most vulnerable species and ecosystems. As conservation leaders, we must set a high bar for restoration – one that safeguards biodiversity while also addressing climate and community needs.” – Emily E.D. Coffey, Ph.D., Vice President of Conservation and Research, Atlanta Botanical Garden