Learn about protecting biological, ecological, social and cultural values in production landscapes

The HCV Network and Proforest launch an e-learning course on Proforest Academy

The HCV Network and Proforest have published a new e-Learning course on how to protect the most important environmental and social values within agricultural commodity production landscapes. These are High Conservation Values (HCVs) and encompass the biological, ecological, social or cultural values that are considered extremely significant or critically important, at a global, regional, national level and to local communities.

The High Conservation Value (HCV) Approach has been used in individual commodity supply chains for many years. Over time it has become increasingly clear that companies involved in the production and sourcing of agricultural commodities need to work beyond their own supply chains to support positive outcomes for the people and places where commodities are produced. Landscape and jurisdictional approaches offer an effective way to get all of the various stakeholders working together.

The need for guidance on how the HCV Approach could be applied at the landscape level led to the publishing of the first HCV Screening Guide in 2019 by the HCV Network with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and later updated in 2021. In early 2022,  HCVN and Proforest partnered up to develop an e-Learning course to cover the aspects of the HCV Screening methodology but also give a broader perspective on the HCV Approach to project implementors of landscape-level initiatives

The HCV Approach is a three-step tool to identify, manage and monitor outstanding biological, ecological, social and cultural values in production areas, and ultimately to ensure their long-term maintenance. The course covers HCV implementation at different scales and the benefits of using the HCV Approach at the landscape level.

Designed for project managers and sustainability experts at companies, governments and civil society organisations who are already involved in landscape initiatives, the course presents practical examples from different regions of how to integrate the HCV Approach in landscape or jurisdictional initiatives. It explains how the HCV Approach at the landscape level can support sustainability objectives and initiatives, as well as the protection of HCVs, and how HCV Screening can be used to identify conservation priorities in landscapes.

“Proforest supported the development of the HCV methodology from its inception; and it continues to be a fundamental part of Proforest’s work for supply chain companies,” said Laura Bachellerie, Senior Project Manager with Proforest. “However, we are seeing an increasing interest and investment in landscape initiatives by companies, governments and civil society. We recognised the need to look at how to scale the HCV approach from managed units to a large production landscape.”

“The HCV Approach has been used within supply chains for over 20 years,” said Ana Sofía Lorda, Project Manager at The HCV Network. “This collaboration with Proforest on an e-Learning course will provide a broader spectrum of people with a firm understanding of the value of using the HCV Approach within landscapes and the different suite of implementation tools available to them.”

This course was jointly prepared by the HCV Network and Proforest. It was developed as part of Proforest’s Production Landscape Programme (PLP), supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).

Click here to find the course and register for Proforest Academy http://bit.ly/3uOvq12 (English version 13th December 2022)

NEW - version in Spanish - 17th May 2023 - tinyurl.com/4xzv8kxj 

NEW - version in French - 5th June 2023 - https://tinyurl.com/2swcmtuj