Review and submit for validation

Once Step A is complete, the assessment team must submit their inputs and request validation. Once validated, this information will be published on the corresponding landscape profile. Documentation requirements and validation criteria are outlined below.

[Insert screenshot of submitting Step A for validation]

[Insert screenshot of sample profile with reassessment updates from Step A]

Documentation requirements

The following materials must be submitted through the LandScale platform for validation:

• General information.

  • Landscape name.

  • Assessment name.

  • Organizations acting as stakeholders.

  • Objectives of the assessment.

• Landscape boundary in .shp or .kml format (if applicable).

• Size of the landscape boundary (in square kilometers or hectares).

• A brief narrative rationale for any changes made to the landscape boundary.

• Limitations of the selected boundary.

• Adjacency analysis documentation (if completed), including:

  • Findings related to the three aspects of adjacency described in boundary limitations and adjacency analysis.

  • Conclusion of the analysis and a summary of any resulting adjustments made to the boundary.

• Landscape overview.

• Assessment team composition:

  • Registration of all team members on the platform.

  • A brief description of each member’s qualifications relevant to the reassessment scope, supported by evidence such as CVs, resumes, courses certifications, or other suitable documentation.

• Stakeholder engagement plan.

Validation criteria

Validation will confirm whether the following requirements of Step A have been fulfilled:

• All required documentation has been submitted via the platform.

• The objectives of the assessment are clearly specified.

• The landscape boundary is submitted in the required format (.shp or .kml).

• The size of the landscape boundary shapefile matches the reported size.

• For any changes to the boundary, the rationale for the proposed changes is clear and sufficient, and within 10% of the original boundary.

• Any limitations of the boundary are described adequately.

• If an adjacency analysis was conducted, the findings and conclusions are documented, and any boundary adjustments are clearly explained.

• The landscape overview includes all required information.

• The assessment team includes the necessary expertise to cover the full scope of the reassessment, and qualifications are documented.

• The stakeholder engagement plan has been documented in accordance with the guidelines.

Performance tracking of a limited set of indicators

For performance tracking, only select documentation requirements apply. The landscape initiative details, assessment team composition, and stakeholder engagement plan (if applicable) must be submitted. All other documentation requirements apply only to full reassessments.

Accordingly, validation for performance tracking will confirm whether the following requirements have been met:

• All required documentation has been submitted via the platform.

• The objectives of the assessment are clearly specified.

• The assessment team includes the necessary expertise to cover the full scope of the reassessment, and qualifications are documented.

• The stakeholder engagement plan has been documented, if required, in accordance with the guidelines.