Certification
WHC Conservation Certification®, is more than just a certification program. It’s a continual process by which activities are maintained to offer ongoing benefit to biodiversity and people. WHC Certification programs can be found in 47 U.S. states and 19 countries.
Start a certification application or track its progress.
Established in 1989, WHC Conservation Certification®, continues to be the world’s only voluntary sustainability standard designed for broad-based biodiversity enhancement and conservation education activities on corporate landholdings.
WHC Certification recognizes a diversity of project types. Examples of the wide-ranging projects recognized under WHC Certification include: native landscaping, mangrove restoration, butterfly monitoring, sustainable hunting to control deer populations, PhD projects, and community Earth Day events.
WHC Conservation Certification programs can be found in 47 U.S. states and 19 countries.
Conservation Certification is more than just a certification. Its a continual process by which activities are maintained to offer ongoing benefit to biodiversity and people.
Applications may be submitted through our online application any time during the calendar year. Applications must have at least one qualifying project*.
Visit the Certification Support Center for more details about the Review and Evaluation Process and Appeals.
Review Process
Reviews are conducted by external reviewers. Reviewers follow specific procedures and guidance. All projects in an application are reviewed against certain criteria specific to the project type.
Scoring
Each project is scored with a project specific Scoring Sheet and the project scores are summarized in an overall Program Summary Sheet. The scoring criteria were developed with technical expert and stakeholder input.
Appeals
If a program is not certified following the initial review, the applicant may submit an appeal with additional/clarifying information within 14 days using the provided Appeal Sheet. The appeal will then be re-reviewed.
Visit the Certification Support Center for more details about the Review and Evaluation Process and Appeals.
Tiers
Programs that have achieved WHC Conservation Certification are given one of the following designations: Certified, Certified Silver or Certified Gold. This tier system was established to recognize levels of achievement and encourage improvement.
Tiering levels are reviewed each year and are subject to change from one year to the next. These adjustments do not change previously certified program levels.
| USD 250 | New program registration |
| USD 1,400 | Per application for members |
| USD 2,800 | Per application for non-members |
Reviews are conducted by external reviewers. Reviewers follow specific procedures and guidance. All projects in an application are reviewed against certain criteria specific to the project type. Each project is scored with a project specific Scoring Sheet and the project scores are summarized in an overall Program Summary Sheet. The scoring criteria were developed with technical expert and stakeholder input.
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