Learn · The methodology

Show your homework.

How we choose sites and species, how we plant, and how survival is verified — with the native-species list, the aimag map, answers to common questions and a glossary of the terms we use.

The methodology.

What it means to plant a Green Shield — who plants it, who counts the survivors, and what triggers a replanting under the 70% guarantee.

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.

Mongolia's 21 aimags, each with its ecological zone and the restoration approach best suited to it. Planting is currently active in Ömnögovi, Orkhon and Töv through our partner nurseries.

21 AIMAGS · 3 ACTIVE

UVS

KHV

ZAV

KHU

BUL

SEL

DOR

BAY

GOV

ARK

KHO

TÖV

KHE

SUK

BAY

UVU

DUN

DOR

ÖMN

DOR

FEATURED · ÖMNÖGOVI

Ömnögovi aimag

South Gobi desert-steppe — where the dust starts. Two partner nurseries raise saxaul, tamarix, elm and poplar for sand-stabilisation and shelter-belt planting: Moyot at Bayan-Ovoo and Khadat Agro at Argalant.

2Partner nurseries

550,000Saplings/yr capacity

2Programmes here

3Aimags active

FAQ & glossary.

Answers to the questions donors ask us most, and plain-language definitions of the Mongolian and technical terms used across this site (aimag, soum, FUG, NbS, NDC, UNCCD).

Frequently asked questions

Is my donation tax-deductible?

In Mongolia, yes — donations to the Green Finance Initiative NGO (reg. № 8382816) are treated as charitable contributions under Mongolian tax law, and a Mongolian-tax-ID receipt is issued on request. We do not yet have a registered fiscal sponsor outside Mongolia, so donors elsewhere should assume their gift is not deductible at home. Details 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?

Forest covers only about 5% of Mongolia, and 76.8% of its land is classified as degraded — the dust that reaches Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo every spring starts here. Mongolia hosted UNCCD COP-17 in 2026 and runs a Billion Trees National Movement coordinating ~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 $1,000 or more (Adopt 0.1 ha and up) can arrange a site visit through the dashboard once their cohort has been planted. We connect you with the local Forest User Group.

How are corporate ESG receipts issued?

Corporate Grove tier ($10,000+) includes a co-branded report with GPS coordinates, species mix, planting dates and survival-audit results. Issued via the dashboard within 14 days of payment. This is a land-restoration report, not a carbon credit.

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.