Frequently Asked Questions

The Platform

1. What is the Contributions for Nature Platform?

• The Contributions for Nature platform (“the Platform”) allows IUCN constituents to document where they are undertaking (or planning to undertake) conservation and restoration actions. It overlays this documentation with data for biodiversity and for carbon sequestration to report potential contributions towards IUCN’s Nature 2030 Programme and by extension, other conservation frameworks and agreements such as the Global Biodiversity Framework, Paris Agreement, and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the long-term vision for the Contributions for Nature platform spans the entire of the Nature 2030 IUCN Programme, its first phase focuses on documentation of potential contributions to the Programme Areas on Land and Climate.
• Currently, the Platform is open to IUCN constituents to input data and will be open to the public to view documented contributions in late 2022.

2. What are the timeframes for go-live and launching the Platform?

   • The Platform is currently live and available to IUCN constituents only.
   • Launch of the Visualisation Module to the public in the last quarter of 2022.

3. What is the temporal scope that the Platform seeks to cover?

   • The Platform can incorporate any contributions as long as their start or end date falls within the 2020-2030 decade (to align with the Nature 2030 Program).

4. Who will be able to enter information?

   • Any IUCN constituent (so, IUCN Members, including their representation through National and Regional Committees), Commission members, and Secretariat staff, will be able to use their IUCN credentials to log into the Platform and enter their organisation’s information. IUCN constituents are encouraged to determine who is the person (or people) within their organization who will be empowered to enter information.

5. Can IUCN Commissions also upload contributions?

   • IUCN Commission members, where they are undertaking conservation or restoration actions on the ground, can enter documentation of these contributions and this will make the possible synergies and contributions between components of the Union more visible and, in this way, support the implementation of a One Program.

6. How do I access the Contributions for Nature Platform?

   • The Platform Data Entry Module is available at: http://www.iucncontributionsfornature.org.
   • To login, please use your IUCN credentials.

7. What if I cannot remember my IUCN login credentials?

   • Go to the IUCN Union Portal homepage, click on “Forgot your credentials?”, and follow the instructions.

8. I do not have any IUCN login credentials.

   • Please contact your Regional Membership Focal Point so that they can add you as a member of staff of your organisation. This will generate login credentials that can be used to access the Platform.

9. What are the different modules on the Contributions for Nature Platform?

   • The Contributions for Nature Platform comprises three modules for: i. Data Entry; ii. Validation; and iii. Visualisation.

• The Platform is accessible using your IUCN constituency login credentials at http://www.iucncontributionsfornature.org.
• The Data Entry Module is accessible using your IUCN constituency login credentials and selecting the Add Contributions tab at the top of the Platform Home page, or at http://www.iucncontributionsfornature.org/entry/. This allows you to document the places where you are undertaking conservation and restoration action over the 2021- decade, and to describe what these actions are.
• The Validation Module is managed through the IUCN Regional Offices, and allows validation of the plausibility of documented contributions, to help maximise data quality.
• The Visualisation Module combines validated data entered by the IUCN constituency with existing global, spatial, high-resolution data on biodiversity and carbon to calculate and report on the potential contributions towards global goals for nature, both individually and aggregated by institutions, countries, regions, and globally.
• Guidance notes and other useful information can be found by clicking the “Documents” tab at the top of the Platform home page.

10. Can IUCN constituents capture non-spatial contributions they might be making to nature? For example, could one capture a project to build capacity of Environmental Management Inspectors to detect wildlife contraband on a national scale?
    • Contributions for Nature is entirely spatial – its scope is for specific conservation or restoration contributions on the ground.
    • So, it could not be used to document the example of national capacity-building.
    • However, if that capacity-building work was focused (for example) on a specific site, then it could be documented.
11. How does the Platform relate to other data platforms?
    • The Platform serves a unique role in delivering the mandate of the IUCN One Programme for the IUCN constituency.
    • It is distinguished from many other platforms by being wholly spatial and quantitative (many “pledge” platforms are qualitative and narrative).
    • There are plans eventually to link through to platforms maintained through the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (especially the Convention on Biological Diversity Sharm El Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda, the UNFCCC Nazca Platform, etc).
    • Links and partnerships with other platforms (e.g. PANORAMA Solutions) are also being explored.
12. Are there plans to build capacity of IUCN constituents through provision of tools that will help them map and document their contributions? Examples of such priorities for training could include the IUCN taxonomies of threats and actions and how these can be applied.
    • Guidance documentation is available for capacity-building in terms of use of the platform itself.
    • More generally, we are considering the suggestion of building from the concepts introduced in the platform to develop associated training materials e.g. on mapping, classification schemes, etc. However, this will not be done for Phase I.
13. What is the value of documenting my organisation’s contributions?
    • Documentation of your organisation’s contributions allows showcasing the collective contributions of the Union to IUCN’s Nature 2030 Programme and by extension, other conservation frameworks and agreements such as the Global Biodiversity Framework, Paris Agreement, and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
    • You are able to show fellow IUCN Members and other constituents (and from the Autumn 2022 , the general public) information regarding the work your organisation is undertaking (or is planning to undertake).

Data Entry Module

14. How can I add my contribution?
    • There are three ways to upload your contribution data in the Data Entry Module. i. Selecting a pre-determined site from either the Protected Area or Key Biodiversity Area layers.

ii. Selecting the point or polygon tool and drawing directly onto the map. iii. Upload spatial data from a File (a shapefile compressed into zip format)

15. What if I do not have all the information requested for documentation in the Data Entry Module?
    • Not all of the fields in the Data Entry Module are compulsory. The only required data in the Data Entry Module are the spatial data (one or more polygons) and the name of the Contribution, plus the start and the end dates (which are included with defaults). These fields are identified with a small red asterisk.
16. How can I edit my contribution?
    • Log into the Platform using your IUCN credentials.
    • Select your contribution and edit/update the related information.
    • Submit your edits for validation.
17. When another organisation is tagged in a project, do they need to approve it?
    • Yes, tagging generates an automated email requesting approval from the IUCN constituent(s) who has been tagged.
    • If they do not approve, then the tagging is not added.
    • A basic principle is that IUCN constituents can modify or remove their own data at any time.
18. Do you need to tag yourself?
    • No.
19. Is there a way to document social metrics related to a contribution?

• Yes: It is possible to document the number of staff and number of beneficiaries (following definitions from the Global Environment Facility), with option to differentiate each by sex.
• Guidance from GEF can be found here: GEF/C.54/11, Updated Results Architecture for GEF-7 (thegef.org) Page 35 of the document states that “Direct beneficiaries are all individuals receiving targeted support from a given project. Targeted support is the intentional and direct assistance of a project to individuals or groups of individuals who are aware that they are receiving that support and/or who use the specific resources.”

20. Will the Platform allow input of data such as implementation costs, best practices, or impact data?

    • IUCN constituents can indeed enter data on both the total annual budget required to implement the contribution (i.e. the implementation costs), and the annual budget already secured.
    • IUCN constituents can also enter a short description of the contribution as free text (which could include data on best practices or impact data, if desirable); it is also possible to upload documents or photographs if useful.

21. Can documents be attached?

    • Yes, the Platform allows the option of attaching documents, photographs, etc.

22. Can documentation of contributions which are more social and that do not have a polygon or spatial reference? (e.g. environmental education curriculum development, national alternative livelihoods policies)

    • The Platform is designed to allow documentation of contributions in terms of conservation or restoration work on the ground. Where this comprises social interventions in specific places, these can be documented in the “conservation actions” drop-down menu. However, non-spatial activities cannot be documented here; IUCN constituents might consider using an alternative platform such as PANORAMA Solutions to document such work.

23. When entering documentation on contributions, is it necessary for an IUCN constituent to add data one-contribution-at-a-time, or can documentation of multiple contributions be uploaded together?

    • Information must be uploaded one project at a time. If your organisation has documentation of many contributions to upload (100+), then please contact contributionsplatform@iucn.org to discuss options for efficient data entry.

24. For IUCN constituents documenting contributions in Protected Areas or Key Biodiversity Areas, is there a minimum threshold for proportion of the area of the site included in the contribution necessary for documentation of this in the Platform?

    • There is no minimum threshold for contributions. However, if a constituent is working in a small zone within a Protected Area, for example, it would be more helpful to document that specific area rather than select the pre-determined Protected Area polygon.

25. If two or more IUCN constituents are working in the same place and on the same project upload information, is the information duplicated?

    • The Platform includes a “tagging” function to allow IUCN constituents to “tag” one or more partners (where these individual or institutional partners are also IUCN constituents) when documenting a given contribution. This generates an automated confirmation email request to each partner, which if accepted will attribute the contribution in question to multiple IUCN constituents.
    • Where a contribution is being implemented in partnership with institutions which are NOT currently IUCN constituents, these partnerships can be documented in the free- text “short description” section. The potential to expand the scope of the Platform beyond the IUCN constituency is being scoped in Phase II.
    • If multiple IUCN constituents are undertaking contributions in the same place, and they document these separately, that is not a problem. In the Visualisation Module, the contribution-level reports will document these individually. However, their overlap will be automatically accounted for in generating national, regional, or global reports.

Validation

26. How do I submit my contribution for validation?

    • Once you have completed the fields, press the “Next” button at the bottom of the screen. The third page is a Summary page and shows all the information you have entered. If you are satisfied that this is complete and correct, click the “Submit for Validation” button at the bottom of the page.

27. What happens once I have submitted my data for validation?

    • An email is sent to the relevant IUCN Regional Office (based on the country within which the contribution is documented as taking place), where the plausibility of the data you have documented will be checked. Once the checks are complete and the office is satisfied that the information submitted is plausible, the submission will be validated, such that it then appears in the Visualisation Module.

28. What happens if my submission is not validated?

    • If the relevant IUCN Regional Office has questions regarding the plausibility of the data, typically resulting from errors in data entry, the person who has submitted the information will receive an email requesting further information or proposing changes to be made.

29. How long does validation take?

    • Validation takes approximately two (2) weeks.

30. How would differences of interpretation about what objectively constitutes a contribution be resolved?

    • The validation process is simply a validation of plausibility, designed to reduce the risk of errors in data entry, not a verification of action, outcome, or impact on the ground.
    • The incorporation of mechanisms for verification may be explored in future phases, perhaps drawing from tools such as the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas and the IUCN Nature-based Solutions Standard.
    • Guidelines for the validation process are available at by clicking the “Documents” tab at the top of the Platform home page.

Visualisation Module

31. Can anyone use the data about a given contribution information once it is available on the Visualisation Module?
    • No. The User Agreement governing use of the Visualisation Module provides users with a non-transferable non-commercial license to use, download and print materials contained in the Platform. Other uses are not permitted without written permission from IUCN.
32. What can IUCN do with the data about a contribution, once these have been entered and validated?
    • When they submit their data, IUCN constituents grant permission to IUCN to store, aggregate, search, query and display them.
    • Constituents can also give their permission to IUCN to repost or redistribute the date to third party platforms (potentially including e.g. the Sharm El Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda Platform) by ticking the relevant box on the summary page of the Data Entry Module.
33. Can reporting be done regionally or nationally?
    • Yes. Reporting will (for Phase I) be for specific contributions, specific institutions, countries, regions, or global.
    • It will also be possible to filter for IUCN constituency type.
    • We hope to further broaden these reporting options in Phase II. Please feel free to submit any suggestions to: contributionsplatform@iucn.org
34. Are the metrics going to remain static or is there a periodic update?

• The Platform should be kept up to date with the latest information available, so IUCN constituents are invited to edit and update documentation of their contributions as frequently as useful and appropriate for them.

35. What types of vegetation and restoration actions are taken into consideration in documenting contributions towards climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration?
    • For Phase I, the documentation of contributions towards climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration is focused on forest landscape restoration via agroforestry, mangrove restoration through trees or shrubs, natural regeneration, or plantations or woodlots.
    • For Phase II, functionality is being developed to document contributions from restoration of non-forest habitats, and from carbon sequestration via retention.
36. Will it be possible for an IUCN constituent to include links in their websites to the information of their respective contributions as documented on the Platform?
    • Yes, anyone can link from own website to the Platform. However, it is not yet possible to link to a single, stable URL for institution-level (or contribution-level) reports; such functionality may be added in future phases.
37. I could not find the answer to my question here.
    • Please send an email to contributionsplatform@iucn.org, detailing your question, suggestion or concern, and the IUCN Secretariat will provide a response as soon as possible.