Savory logo (white)

Land Monitoring Protocol

Ecological Outcome Verification

Ecological Outcome Verification logo

Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) is an outcome-based monitoring protocol for grassland environments. Currently deployed on over 5 million acres globally, EOV evaluates both leading and lagging indicators to give you a holistic assessment of ecosystem function.

Land Monitoring for

Regenerative Grazing

Play Video

A Protocol to Monitor Ecosystem Function

EOV works on two time scales. Annually, an EOV monitor comes out and assesses qualitative aboveground indicators like bare ground and biodiversity. Every five years, plant diversity metrics, water infiltration, and soil data are collected. Soil samples are sent to the lab for quantitative measurements such as soil carbon and water-holding capacity.

Data That Informs Management

Feedback Loops

Most monitoring protocols are cost-prohibitive and designed primarily for academics. EOV was designed to be farmer-first, adaptable across eco-regions, and providing actionable insights based on land health trends.

Michal Pretorius doing EOV on Evensons Farm, near Hogsback, South Africa
EOV at West Bijou Ranch - Land Health Monitoring
Alexandre Family Farms - Land to Market Member - Dairy Products
EOV is the science that supports Savory’s Land to Market program.
Data for Marketplace Differentiation

land to market verification

EOV is the science that supports Savory’s Land to Market program. If EOV data indicates land regeneration, products derived from that landbase may apply to carry the coveted Land to Market Verified seal.

EOV has given our operation invaluable data to make better management decisions. Additionally, Land to Market is increasingly becoming known among consumers and regenerative product aggregators, which has given us an advantage when we market our products.”

Molly Taylor, pt ranch

What does EOV measure?

EOV provides a holistic assessment of ecosystem health, evaluating both leading indicators found aboveground and lagging indicators found both above and below. Each indicator tells us something about the four different ecosystem processes and how they’re functioning, providing actionable insights that ensure continuous regeneration year-over-year.

Short-Term Monitoring

Conducted annually during the growing season, short-term monitoring (STM) focuses on leading indicators across the landbase. It is designed to be simple, inexpensive, and quick while maintaining scientific robustness.

The sum of the scores for each indicator gives the Ecological Health Index (EHI) for a given landbase, which is the main indicator of regenerating land.

Indicators & Related Ecosystem Processes

INDICATOR
WATER CYCLE
MINERAL CYCLE
ENERGY FLOW
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS
LIVE CANOPY ABUNDANCE
MICROFAUNA
WARM SEASON GRASSES
COOL SEASON GRASSES
FORBS & LEGUMES
TREES & SHRUBS
CONTEXTUALLY DESIRABLE
RARE SPECIES
CONTEXTUALLY
UNDESIRABLE SPECIES
LITTER ABUNDANCE
LITTER INCORPORATION
DUNG DECOMPOSITION
BARE SOIL
SOIL CAPPING
WIND EROSION
WATER EROSION

Long-Term Monitoring

Conducted at baseline and every five years, long-term monitoring (LTM) assesses lagging indicators of ecosystem function such as soil carbon and botanical composition that demonstrate slower, more incremental changes.

Two separate sampling schemes
SOIL SAMPLING
PERMANENT LONG-TERM SITES
SOIL CARBON MEASUREMENTS ARE PERFORMED FOLLOWING STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING ACROSS THE ENTIRE LANDBASE. CORE SAMPLES ARE TAKEN TO 3OCM MINIMUM AND ANALYZED ACCORDING TO EOV PROTOCOL SPECIFICATIONS.
WATER INFILTRATION RATE
PHOTOPOINTS
BARE SOIL COVER
LITTER COVER
FOLIAR COVER OF PERENNIAL PLANTS BY SPECIES
COVER PERCENTAGE BY FUNCTIONAL GROUPS
BIODIVERSITY INDICATORS SUCH AS SPECIES RICHNESS & SHANNON-WIENNER INDEX
Step-by-step

How to Get EOV on Your Land

Indicate Your Interest in Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV)
Indicate Interest
Fill out the EOV interest form with some basic details about your property and management. The Savory EOV team will then put you in touch with an accredited EOV Verifier from a local Savory Hub.
Indicate Your Interest in Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV)
Ecological Outcome Verification in process
Establish Baseline
A regional EOV Verifier schedules a farm/ranch visit, prepares farm mapping, and creates a short-term monitoring (STM) plan. Using STM data, the verifier finalizes the farm monitoring plan by locating where to establish long-term monitoring (LTM) sites. LTM data is then collected along with soil samples, and the combination of STM and LTM data provides a baseline measurement.
Ecological Outcome Verification in process
An EOV Monitor comparing grasses to a guide manual in a pasture
Annual Monitoring
An accredited EOV Monitor visits to conduct the annual short-term monitoring. If results indicate regeneration in the context of the ecoregion, EOV verification is granted/renewed by the EOV Global Quality Assurance (QA) team and the landbase is then eligible to apply for Land to Market product verification.
An EOV Monitor comparing grasses to a guide manual in a pasture
A soil sample is collected in EOV monitoring
Every 5 Years
On a five-year interval, an accredited EOV Monitor returns to the farm to conduct both short-term and long-term monitoring. If data confirms land regeneration, verification is renewed.
A soil sample is collected in EOV monitoring

Get Started with EOV

To get started with EOV, fill out the interest form below and the Savory team will be in touch with next steps. Interested in becoming an EOV Monitor and/or Verifier? Fill out the accreditation form.

Get the Savory newsletter.

Your monthly dose of inspiration, news, events, & more

We respect your privacy and will never spam or sell your information.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your donation is the first step on the path to a regenerative future.