Learn · The methodology

Show your homework.

A real Learn section is the institutional layer the homepage can't carry on its own. Methodology, native species, aimag explorer, FAQ and glossary — everything a corporate buyer or institutional donor checks before signing a cheque.

The methodology.

The full survival document — what it means to plant a Green Shield, who plants it, who counts the survivors, and what triggers a replanting under the 70% guarantee. Reads like a peer-reviewed brief, not marketing copy.

The promise

Year-3 survival
floor

Audited

100%7550250

≥ 70% floor

100%

84%

76%

Y0Planted

Y11st audit

Y3Floor check

Below floor →We replant, no donor charge

The 70% Year-3 floor.

Saplings that make it to year 3 in Mongolian conditions have an 80%+ chance to reach maturity. So that's the number we guarantee. Below 70%, we replant — at our cost, no donor charge.

Baseline at plantingGPS polygon, dated photos from 4 cardinal points, FUG + nursery dual sign-off.

Year-1 audit (Sep ±30 d)Independent auditor visits 30% sample of cohorts. Every sapling in 25×25 m plots inspected.

Year-3 audit + lock-in100% of cohorts visited. The number that ends up on your certificate.

Plant a tree under this guarantee →

Aimag explorer.

Make the picker map a permanent reference. Each of 21 aimags gets its own page eventually: ecological zone, dominant theme, active nurseries, signed FUGs, landscape photo. Doubles as SEO surface for "tree planting in Khovd" etc.

CLICK A CELL · 21 AIMAGS

UVS

KHV

ZAV

KHU

BUL

SEL

DOR

BAY

GOV

ARK

KHO

TÖV

KHE

SUK

BAY

UVU

DUN

DOR

ÖMN

DOR

FEATURED · KHÖVSGÖL

Khövsgöl aimag

Forest-steppe transition zone in the north, dominated by Siberian larch and Scots pine. Highest survival rates in the programme; 4 active nurseries.

68Cohorts '25

2,840Saplings

81.4%Y1 survival

4Nurseries

FAQ & glossary.

FAQ in four categories so corporate buyers and individual donors can scan to their own concern. Glossary explains terms that creep into the rest of the site (aimag, soum, FUG, NbS, NDC, UNCCD).

Frequently asked questions

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Depending on your jurisdiction. UK donors qualify for Gift Aid via our fiscal sponsor. EU donors with a tax-domicile in registered countries receive a deductible receipt. US donors via the 501(c)(3) sponsor. Full table on the Tax receipts page.

What happens if my saplings don't survive?

Our 70% Year-3 floor: if a cohort drops below that survival rate at the third-year audit, we replant the shortfall at our own cost. The original donor sees no charge.

Why Mongolia, specifically?

~17% of Mongolia's land is forest cover, falling fast. Mongolia hosted UNCCD COP-17 in 2026, and has a Billion-Trees National Movement that already coordinates ~1,100 Forest User Groups. Demand-side capital is the missing piece — that's where Green Shield fits.

Can I visit my cohort in person?

Yes. Donors who give above $1,000 (Adopt 0.1 ha and up) can co-ordinate a site visit through the dashboard once their cohort has been planted. We line you up with the local Forest User Group.

How are corporate ESG receipts issued?

Corporate Grove tier ($10,000+) includes a co-branded ESG report with GPS coords + species mix + Verra carbon-pathway alignment. Issued via the dashboard within 14 days of payment.

Why is overhead so low?

Operating costs (staff, audit, infrastructure) are funded separately by the parent Green Finance Initiative. 100% of every donation, net of payment-processor fees, funds planting + 3-year care.

Glossary

Аймаг province: Mongolia's first-level administrative division. There are 21 aimags plus the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.
Soum district: Sub-aimag administrative division. Cohorts are registered to a specific soum within an aimag.
ФУГ forest user group: A community-level cooperative of households legally responsible for tending a forest plot. Mongolia has ~1,100 registered FUGs.
NbS nature-based solution: Climate & biodiversity intervention that works with natural processes rather than substituting for them.
NDC nationally determined contribution: Each country's stated emissions-reduction commitment under the Paris Agreement.
UNCCD UN convention: UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Mongolia hosted COP-17 in 2026.