Wilder Carbon and the BSI Nature Investment Standards: Learning Through Pilot Assessment

Over a relatively short timeframe, Wilder Carbon mobilised to participate in the British Standards Institution (BSI) pilot assessment against the Nature Investment Standards, set out under BSI Flex 701. We welcomed the opportunity to test the Wilder Carbon Standard for Nature and Climate against an emerging, independent benchmark for high-integrity nature investment.

The pilot explored alignment with Flex 701’s overarching principles, including transparency, quantification, governance, timing of information and openness to innovation. The assessment considered not only the design of the Wilder Carbon Standard, but also how it operates in practice, covering requirements and guidance for projects, project developers, independent verifiers and buyers.

Importantly, the pilot process provided a space for constructive dialogue, allowing us to share feedback on how Flex 701 clauses were interpreted in practice and to help inform the future assessment framework, which we understand the government plans to announce later this year. We look forward to continuing to engage as that framework develops.

Key Insights During this pilot, we found that:

“Broad alignment was observed across the majority of Flex 701 requirements, particularly where clauses relate to governance, quantification, validation and verification, registry functions and long-term outcome delivery.

Areas of partial alignment were largely driven by documentation maturity, interpretation of specific clause wording, and the early stage of market operation for some functions, rather than any fundamental gaps in governance or intent.

Areas for improvement

One of the most valuable aspects of the pilot was identifying constructive improvements. These insights are now feeding directly into our 2026 development pipeline. Areas of focus include:

• Transparency and documentation clarity – strengthening explicit articulation of long-term information retention and clarifying interpretations of “credit lifetime”
• Timing and measurement interpretation – addressing how ecological survey timing can be specified clearly and realistically in practice
• Terminology and consistency – clarifying terms such as “freely available”, “market stakeholder” and registry-related expectations to support consistent assurance outcomes – these were largely interpretations of the BSI Flex 701 rather than Wilder Carbon Standard for Nature and climate.

Areas of strength

The pilot also identified strong alignment across a broad range of themes, including:

• Quantification and baselining, underpinned by published science, conservative assumptions and robust MRV
• Independent validation and verification, with transparent disclosure through the registry
• Governance and conflict of interest management, supported by clear structures, policies and grievance mechanisms
• Registry integrity, including traceability, credit lifecycle controls and protection against double counting
• Risk management and long-term delivery, including buffers, reversal protocols and legally binding mechanisms to secure outcomes over time

Looking ahead

Overall, our participation in the pilot showed that Wilder Carbon provides a robust, well-governed framework for high-integrity nature-based carbon credits, while also identifying practical ways to strengthen documentation and improve future assurance consistency.

We value this type of early, collaborative assessment. It helps ensure that standards evolve alongside market maturity, grounded in science, shaped by real-world delivery, and aligned with emerging best practice.