Our answers to frequently asked questions...
Questions about AgoraNatura
Agora is a historical term from the Greek, meaning "assembly" or "market place". At the important cultural and event location, community life was discussed and negotiated. In this sense, AgoraNatura sees itself not only as a "marketplace" for certified nature conservation projects, but as a place where everyone can get involved in the discussion about the relationship between nature and society.
In contrast to other nature conservation platforms, the expected effects of the nature conservation projects are reported according to scientifically recognised methods and certified by independent experts. The implementation of the projects is documented for public inspection. The investment also has a high degree of transparency, as the money is only used in relation to the area, precisely located and for a specific project. All projects in the marketplace fulfil the same criteria.
AgoraNatura makes it possible to invest in nature conservation projects through the purchase of nature conservation certificates, thus enabling their implementation. Investors pay for certified and transparent projects. In return, they receive a certificate stating the number of certificates purchased. One certificate always stands for the planned project results on an area of 100 m2 within one year. Property rights are not transferred. Depending on the project, certain access and use rights can be agreed, for example an invitation to events or joint maintenance measures. However, the decision on this lies with the providers themselves; they provide information on special experiences in their project description.
AgoraNatura is open to anyone throughout Germany who wants to implement projects for the protection and development of biodiversity and nature services on their own or leased land, i.e. farmers, local authorities, landscape conservation and nature conservation associations and foundations. It is important that the person or organisation wishing to post an offer has the necessary rights of use during the project period and takes responsibility for the implementation of the project.
The bidders themselves set the prices. They know best what costs arise for the implementation of the initial and follow-up measures, for example for the maintenance of the land. In addition, costs are included that arise from the fact that the land cannot be used alternatively, e.g. for the production of animal feed or leasing to third parties.
Furthermore, monitoring costs can be added, with which the providers can control the success of the measures. A certain cost rate may also be necessary to cover the organisational and administrative costs of any project promoters involved, e.g. landscape conservation associations or nature conservation societies.
Private landowners in particular can also factor in a certain profit, because good action may - and must - be rewarded in order to create an attractive and sustainable system. There is also a price to pay for the risk associated with the promised actions or outcomes.
The providers are therefore called upon to set a price that is fair for all parties involved - including themselves, because nature conservation needs their long-term commitment.
The factors described above result in a final bid price, which the providers state when creating the project. The costs for financing the platform and for certification are added to this bid price. Details on these costs can be found in our Price list illustrated.
By purchasing the certificates of a project, a contract for the implementation of the project is concluded between the offering person or organisation and the investors. The offering person or organisation decides on the form of the contract when submitting the project and can choose between donation, service contract and contract for work. These different forms of contract exist because not every provider can issue a donation certificate. This depends on whether a non-profit status certified by the tax office exists. In addition, the forms of contract reflect the willingness of the provider to take risks.
In the case of a donation and a service contract, you are not legally obliged to achieve the project objectives but to carry out the agreed measures. With a contract for work, on the other hand, bidders are flexible with regard to the measures, but legally obliged to achieve the project objectives (e.g. to prove the occurrence of certain species). Thus, a contract for work and services could be an attractive selling point for some investors.
The different forms of contract therefore allow both sides - providers and investors - to engage according to their possibilities and preferences. Here you will find more information on the various forms of contract.
The Natureplus -Standard applies to the certification of clearly defined projects that lead to the conservation or improvement of biodiversity and nature services and can be experienced. By complying with the criteria described there, a transparent presentation of the projects, the expected impacts and a publicly viewable documentation of the project implementation takes place.
In order to be able to offer a project at AgoraNatura, the providers must fill out a project description, which is then sent to the independent certification body. Currently the agrathaer GmbH the responsible certification body for all offers that wish to appear on AgoraNatura.
The certification body checks whether the project description is complete and plausible and whether all the Criteria of the Naturplus Standard are complied with. After successful certification, the project goes online on AgoraNatura.
The verification of the correctness or validity of the contract-relevant information given in the project description is carried out according to the principle of good faith. If a project is implemented, the certification body checks implementation and monitoring reports on a random basis, also through on-site inspections. You can find out more about certification here: https://agora-natura.de/zertifizierung/.
AgoraNatura is in the pilot phase and is funded by a joint project grant from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). This project funding enables the realisation and testing of the marketplace. At present, all the money raised goes to the selected project. However, a transaction fee must be added for the payment service provider, which enables smooth payment transactions via insolvency-proof escrow accounts, and a security surcharge for unsuccessful projects so that the bidders do not incur any costs in the event of failure (together 10%).
By the end of the funding phase, a concept will be developed that will allow AgoraNatura, as a self-supporting marketplace, to continue to be open to all offering persons and organisations as an independent intermediary.
A submission fee is charged to bidders for submitting projects. This covers the costs for certification.
For the operation, smooth payment transactions via insolvency-proof escrow accounts and the further development of the platform, a surcharge is levied on the bid price when projects are hired. This surcharge is already included in the certificate price. There are no further costs for investors.
The costs for the project setting as well as the surcharge on the bid price are included in our Price list illustrated.
Questions from providers
In Germany, awareness of nature conservation issues is steadily increasing, as representative surveys show. Many people are willing to take on more responsibility themselves, also financially. However, some obstacles to getting more involved in nature conservation are often perceived. For example, many private individuals and companies would like to get involved on their own doorstep, in a particular region or on a particular issue, but do not know what specific projects are available at all. Others fear that their money will not be used specifically for the promised measures or will not achieve any concrete effect at all.
With AgoraNatura we offer approaches to overcome some of these hurdles. By showing transparently where and for what the money is used and what you can achieve with it, the motivation for companies and private individuals to participate financially increases. As proof, the investors receive their personal conservation certificates.
AgoraNatura is about promoting and making visible biodiversity and the associated natural services. For inspiration, we have developed project types. You can view these here after your registration with AgoraNatura and also download them. You can find all the methods used on the page of the Natureplus-standards, according to which your project will also be certified.
There are different methods to measure the effects on biodiversity and nature services. The Natureplus-Standard does not make any concrete specifications, but presents a number of scientifically sound methods that are available to providers. This "method case" is constantly being expanded. Feel free to have a look at the standard's page!
Yes, it is. These are methods that are relatively easy to apply with conservation knowledge. If you need support, please feel free to contact us at offer[a]agora-natura.de or involve conservation actors you trust.
The concrete area, measures and goals are defined with your project description and are thus the basis for certification. If difficulties arise during the course of your project, contact the certification body directly and discuss whether your project can continue as planned and whether or what adjustments are possible.
Combination with other funding instruments (e.g. direct payments, organic farming payments) is possible to create even more valuable nature conservation areas. In your project description, you indicate existing commitments and assure that the measures and expected results for which you are seeking funding partners through AgoraNatura are not already funded.
You have the right to reject investment offers individually within two weeks. However, you can also agree to automatic acceptance in your project description.
In your "My AgoraNatura" you will find all the functions you need to set up and implement a project at AgoraNatura. Take a look at our video "Project description and administration" on our website. "Here you will find support" or just have a look.
Yes, one can offer e.g. the partial area of a larger project. If there are already commitments for this area, they are identified and it is made clear which additional measures and results are to be achieved by the AgoraNatura project.
The project description serves to describe the sub-area selected for the AgoraNatura project, the measures taking place on it and the expected results. The larger project can be included via the title, the objective or the explanation of the suitability of the area.
Yes, as a rule. In the project description, objectives are formulated within the framework of a specific term. Both must fit together, be plausible from a nature conservation point of view and are the basis for monitoring success. If funding can no longer be secured, deterioration can occur.
A minimum size results from our certificates of 100 m² per year. Otherwise, there are no specifications. However, we recommend starting with a smaller total amount.
It is best to orientate yourself on the first projects in the marketplace. The duration should make sense from a conservation perspective. Annual projects are not optimal from a nature conservation point of view, but since the financing has to be found first, we consider them to be the right choice if a longer-term continuation of the project is desired on the part of the provider.
The maximum possible financing period is six months. This period is set by our financial service provider and is based on the banking law.
If not all certificates of a project are sold within this maximum possible time, the project does not come into being. The investors are then automatically refunded the money they paid in. However, providers can submit the project again - perhaps with a smaller project volume. They can write to the previous investors and encourage them to try again. Of course, it is better if all certificates can be financed directly within the six months. Therefore, weigh up the project volume with which you start the first project.
In the case of donated projects, you will receive a list of the people who have contributed to the financing of your project after it has been fully funded. You must issue them with a donation receipt - the year in which the investors transferred to the payment service provider applies.
If you have opted for a contractual solution, you must invoice investing companies / legal entities. This is done when all certificates of your project have been financed. You will also receive all the necessary information from AgoraNatura.
The AgoraNatura marketplace serves as an intermediary; the contractual partners are the investors and you. You issue the donation receipts or invoices for the total amount paid in by the investors. The share for AgoraNatura is deducted by the payment service provider and you receive an invoice for it.
On our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn we regularly inform about news at AgoraNatura. We promote new projects through press releases to regional newspapers. In the past, this has sometimes had a very positive effect on certificate sales. In addition, a newsletter is sent out several times a year in which, among other things, new projects are presented. In the medium term, we hope for a stronger commitment by companies. We are currently building up contacts in this area. At the moment, however, we would like to encourage you to spread the word about your project in your networks. Please feel free to contact us if you have any application ideas that we could support you with.
When you release a project description for certification, this is the sign for us that you are seriously interested in posting a project with AgoraNatura. You will then receive an email from us with the contract documents for registration with our financial service provider secupay and the information on what you need to submit for identification there. In any case, the beneficial owners must be named and their identity must be proven via a copy of their identity card.
The advantage is: secupay takes over the collection of the financial contributions and also the transfer back if not all certificates can be financed.
Do you have any questions? Get in touch with us at: info[a]agora-natura.de
If a newly uploaded news item or a report section is not displayed, please try the following: Clear your cache, e.g. via the key combination "ctrl" + "R" and /or refresh the page via the round arrow at the top left before the address line.
Your uploaded news will be displayed on your project page in the "News" tab. Your published report will be filed as a pdf on your project's page in the "Documentation" tab and will be completed each year by uploading another annual report.
If you have technical questions about reporting, please contact us at info[a]agora-natura.de
If there are difficulties in implementing your project, please contact Anita Bebelek from the certification office at agrathaer at: anita.beblek[a]agrathaer.de
Please remember to also notify the investors of your project in case of important difficulties. Write messages easily via the project management in your "My AgoraNatura".
Questions from investors
If you want to support a project financially, you have to register and log in to AgoraNatura. On the project page, you can select the desired number of certificates or the total amount you would like to invest. By clicking on the button "Invest in project" you put the selected certificates into your shopping cart and can pay. You can also collect certificates from several projects in your shopping cart and then pay together.
In the checkout area, select your payment method and complete any missing data. After you have confirmed the terms and conditions, complete the process with the button "Order with obligation to pay".
The number of certificates you have purchased is now considered sold. As soon as all certificates of the project have found an investor, it can be implemented. Only at this point will the certificate of investment in the project be sent to you by e-mail.
Certificates can be paid for by direct debit, credit card or advance payment by bank transfer. These payments are made via the Secupay AG processed. In addition, you can send Klarna use the instant bank transfer.
Once you have decided on a project and bought certificates, your money flows into a kind of trust account for the corresponding project. The money is "parked" there until all certificates of the project are sold. Only after successful financing does the total amount flow to the offering person or organisation.
If not all certificates of a project are sold, the project does not materialise. In this case, depending on the payment method chosen, you will get your money back or it will not be collected at all.
If you have invested by direct debit or credit card, the money will not be collected. If you have chosen prepayment or instant bank transfer as your payment method, the money will be returned to you within 14 days of the end of the designated financing phase.
Yes, 14 days right of withdrawal applies.
A certificate always stands for the planned project results on an area of 100 m² within one year. The projects offered are very diverse and the associated measures vary in cost. In addition to the costs for implementation, costs for leasing the area and opportunity costs also differ (what agricultural yield would the area yield if it were not made available for nature conservation?). Last but not least, the costs of documenting and monitoring the results may differ. What price is necessary to implement the offered project is determined by the provider.
More at Questions about AgoraNatura: How do the prizes for the projects come about?
On the page of a project under the tab "Participants" you can directly contact the provider of the project. However, you must first register with AgoraNatura.
You ask yourself why this is necessary? The messages written there are included in the AgoraNatura news portal and this makes communication easier for the providers, especially when a lot of people participate in the funding.
If you are planning a larger investment and are afraid of registering in advance, you can usually find the contact via the website of the provider linked in the "Participants" tab or you can write to us - we will be happy to pass on your request: info[a]agora-natura.de
If you are registered and have already invested in a project, you will find the communication with the provider of the project again in the project management in your "My AgoraNatura" and can easily continue it.
Questions from companies that want to invest
By purchasing certificates, companies can specifically opt for the preservation of biodiversity and Nature services engage. Entrepreneurial activity is strongly connected to nature: it affects nature, for example through the sealing of land, the consumption of resources and through emissions. At the same time, companies are dependent on nature, for example on the availability and quality of natural raw materials or on nature experiences as part of the business model. Companies therefore have a great responsibility and at the same time a strong self-interest to contribute to nature conservation. You can find a short video about the interrelationships between companies and nature here (Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development).
In addition, public awareness of nature conservation problems is constantly increasing, for example with regard to insect mortality and groundwater pollution. By acquiring nature conservation certificates, companies can meet the growing expectations of society and politics, employees, customers and business partners.
Nature conservation certificates refer to the nature conservation areas. This means that a project is certified and not a company, product or service. This means that nature conservation certificates are hardly comparable with eco-certifications or product labels.
No! In principle, the nature conservation certificates cannot be used for legally required compensations such as compensation and replacement measures under the Federal Nature Conservation Act, the eco-account or emissions trading. AgoraNatura aims to provide additional funds for nature conservation. However, recognition of the certificates, for example within the framework of the impact mitigation compensation scheme, would not lead to an increase but only to a redistribution of nature conservation payments. Moreover, in Germany it is generally not possible to offset CO2-certificates from a voluntary market for officially confirmed climate neutrality.
The conservation certificates on AgoraNatura focus on the protection of biodiversity and various natural services, and currently particularly in the utilised agricultural landscape. The reduction of CO2 on these areas is only one aspect and, compared to other habitats such as peatlands and forests, is also associated with lower climate protection effects.
If you opt for the voluntary CO2-compensation, we recommend that you invest in the following MoorFutures. These are voluntary climate protection certificates from the renaturation of German peatlands. Furthermore you will find here further information on the subject of voluntary CO2 offsetting in a publication by the Federal Environment Agency.
Nature conservation certificates can of course be used for the internal and external presentation of your corporate commitment or can serve as a gift for business partners and employees. Above all, however, the area and time reference of the certificates (100 m2 for 1 year) you to set strategic targets, for example related to offsetting office, storage or parking space. It is also conceivable that the certificates are linked to products or services. Through such an offer with "additional ecological benefits" you involve your customers and business partners and get them talking. By involving the staff in the selection of projects, the identification with the environment of company locations could be increased and the joint experience of projects can become special networking or team building events after consultation with the providers.
Was your question not answered? Then write to us at info[a]agora-natura.de.
Glossary
Agora is a historical term from the Greek, meaning "assembly" or "market place". At this so important cultural and event location, community living together was discussed and negotiated. In this sense, AgoraNatura sees itself not only as a "marketplace" for certified nature conservation projects, but as a place where everyone can get involved in the discussion about the relationship between nature and society.
Agri-environmental programmes are an important instrument of European agri-environmental policy, introduced in 1992. Their aim is to financially promote sustainable and environmentally friendly land management. To this end, management practices that go beyond "good agricultural practice" are rewarded. Participation is voluntary and is usually fixed for at least 5 years. If a farmer participates in an agri-environmental measure (AUM), he agrees to limit his agricultural use on certain areas, e.g. by applying less fertiliser, keeping diverse crop rotations or reducing the number of animals.
Tenderers are organisations or individuals who submit a nature conservation or landscape management project to AgoraNatura as an Offer hire and for the provision of biodiversity and Nature services are looking for financial support. You want to implement a project on your own or leased land, either alone or together with the people farming there. You are responsible for the implementation of the offered project.
An offer on AgoraNatura includes the description of a concrete project with which the offering organisation or person more biodiversity and / or Nature services and for which it is looking for investment partners. In addition to the background of the project and the organisations or persons involved, the main thing that is presented is what they can achieve through the project. A direct contact option is given in each case.
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factual / nature conservation
Biological diversity or biodiversity describes the variety of life on our planet. It includes three levels: 1. the diversity of species, 2. the diversity of habitats (=Ecosystems) and 3. genetic diversity within animal and plant species. Offers at AgoraNatura can show their positive effects on the diversity of plants, the diversity of animals and / or genetic diversity. Through the diversity of its projects, AgoraNatura ultimately supports habitat diversity.
Fallow land is land that is not currently being used for any specific purpose. Agricultural fallow land is often a very valuable habitat for numerous plant species and adapted animal species, and can thus contribute greatly to the biological diversity contribute. In addition, they can fulfil numerous other important functions, including reducing nutrient discharges into groundwater.
A service contract obliges the person or organisation providing the service to implement all the measures described for the project. This includes documentation and monitoring of the intended results. However, there is - purely legally - no obligation to achieve the intended results. The service contract is interesting for providers who do not have non-profit status in the sense of the tax office.
Comparison with GTC
A development project supports the development of specific Nature services on a clearly defined area. This area does not yet have a large biodiversity (e.g. diverse native plant species) and / or does not provide nature services to date or only to a limited extent. Through the implementation of the proposed project, biodiversity on the site is increased or conditions are created through which certain natural services can be (increasingly) provided. In other words, biodiversity and/or nature services are developed or improved. It should be noted that some effects of the project occur quickly and may already be visible in the first year, while others only emerge in the course of the implementation phase or even at the end of the project period.
A conservation project supports the preservation of already existing Nature services and/or existing biodiversity on a clearly defined area. The area already has a high biological diversity (e.g. endangered animal or plant species are found here) and/or already provides one or more natural services. The implementation of the project ensures that the area will continue to "produce" this high value, i.e. that it will be preserved.
When the previously intensive cultivation of an area is reduced in the agricultural sector, e.g. by applying very little fertiliser, using fewer cattle for grazing, mowing less frequently or planting less densely and thus harvesting less, this is referred to as extensification.
The technical term "grassland" stands for agricultural areas that are used as meadows or pastures. But they are more than just the fodder base for livestock and thus for many foods. They are often also habitats for typical plant and animal species, such as meadow breeders and insects, fulfil important buffer and filter functions, e.g. for adjacent water bodies, offer protection against soil erosion through their closed sward and contribute to climate protection by storing CO2. And last but not least, they have a high aesthetic and identity-forming value for many people: just think of the colourful, fragrant and humming meadows of your childhood!
Large protected areas include: National parks, biosphere reserves and nature parks.
This technical term refers to the characteristic habitat of a particular animal or plant species in which it naturally occurs, i.e. in short, its habitat.
Investors are companies or private individuals who, on a voluntary basis, financially support an existing offer on AgoraNatura through a donation or through remuneration within the framework of a service exchange contract.
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factual / nature conservation
Landscape conservation associations are voluntary associations of nature conservation representatives, farmers and local politicians in a non-profit association. Their aim is to jointly maintain or create near-natural landscape areas. The German Association for Landscape Conservation, DVL, as the umbrella organisation of landscape conservation associations, has been involved in AgoraNatura from the very beginning. As experts in the conservation of species-rich cultural landscapes, individual landscape conservation associations, especially from Brandenburg, have developed many of the types of services and functionalities.
The natureplus-The standard consists of a catalogue of generally applicable criteria for effective nature conservation projects, which are specifically biodiversity and Nature services provide. It describes specific requirements for the development of the projects as well as methods and rules for recording the nature services and biodiversity provided, reporting and Verification. Within the framework of the Certification it is checked whether a presented Offer meets these criteria. If the examination is successful, the Offer set in the marketplace.
By nature services we mean the direct and indirect contributions of nature and its Ecosystems to human well-being, i.e. services and goods that bring direct or indirect economic, material, health or psychological benefits to people. The technical term is Ecosystem services or "ecosystem service" and was introduced in the 1980s to establish the value of nature for humans in social discourse as an additional argument for more nature conservation. Nature services or ecosystem services are often differentiated into supply services (e.g. food, water, raw materials), regulatory services (e.g. CO2 storage as a contribution to climate protection, the filter function of the soil for clean water) and cultural services (e.g. recreation, landscape image and aesthetics).
A nature conservation certificate indicates the additional positive effects of a Offer on an area of 100m2 within one year. Companies and private individuals can acquire these certificates and thus invest in the implementation of the respective offer. Certification is carried out according to the Natureplus-Standard by independent third parties. A conservation certificate cannot be resold, is not transferable and is not valid for mandatory markets, such as mechanisms of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Act or compensation and replacement measures.
The technical term ecosystem describes a habitat together with the organisms living in it and the dynamic, complex interaction between the living organisms themselves and with their inanimate environment. There are different types of ecosystems on earth; the respective size is not firmly defined. They are open systems, i.e. individual ecosystems can merge seamlessly into others and interact with each other. Simple examples are lakes, bogs or forests.
See Nature services
An online marketplace is a digital platform that enables the exchange of services or products. It provides the institutional framework for transaction processes between providers and consumers. AgoraNatura is an online marketplace for more biodiversity and nature services in Germany.
If an organisation or person wishes to place an offer on AgoraNatura, it must assess the expected effects of the proposal on the biodiversity and Nature servicesThe aim is to provide transparent, plausible and verifiable evidence of the expected effects of the offer. The aim is to provide transparent, plausible and verifiable evidence of the expected effects of the offer.
In the case of a donation contract, the investment must be used for the purpose of the described project measures. However, there is - from a legal point of view - no obligation to achieve the intended results. A donation contract can only be offered if the person or organisation offering it has been certified as a non-profit organisation by the competent tax office and is pursuing non-profit purposes with the investment raised. If this is the case, investors can receive a donation receipt for this type of contract.
check with GTC!
A meadow orchard is a traditional form of fruit growing. It is characterised by tall fruit trees, often of different ages and usually of diverse species and varieties, scattered on meadows or (mowed) pastures. Orchard meadows are man-made cultivated landscapes that are only extensively managed (i.e. little or no use of fertilisers or pesticides) and thus have a very high environmental value. biodiversity show. Currently, the existence of meadow orchards in Germany is severely endangered. Their preservation requires continuous, expert maintenance measures.
A "top-up" project is when an environmental measure is already being carried out on an area, e.g. via Agri-environmental programmes is promoted, but due to the supply still additional biodiversity and Nature services on the site that have not been financed so far. Since the provider does not have to finance all nature services on the project area through AgoraNatura, these are often relatively inexpensive and at the same time high-quality areas.
Transaction costs are all costs that arise in an exchange of services, goods or capital and thus transactions between actors. They can be roughly divided into three categories, depending on the phase of the transaction: search and information costs, negotiation and decision-making costs, and contract enforcement, control and adjustment costs. In the case of AgoraNatura, transaction costs arise in particular on the part of the providers and include, for example, the time and costs for inventorying the project area, preparing the description of the offer or documenting the implementation of the measures.
Still to be filled
With a contract for work and services, the offering person or organisation commits to achieving a defined project success. This is not only a promise that the measures will be implemented, but that the described result will actually be achieved. If the defined result is not achieved, the investors can reclaim the amounts they have paid. Due to the strict requirements and the higher risk, it is to be expected that bidders will calculate higher costs for this form of contract.
Comparison with GTC
See Nature Conservation Certificate
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really necessary?
As part of the certification process, independent third parties check whether an offer presented meets the criteria of the Natureplus-Standards corresponds, is plausible and technically correct. It is the prerequisite for the release of an offer on AgoraNatura and the issue of Nature conservation certificates.