Integration of RED III relevant land criteria into the GRAS Tool+

As GRAS Tool+ continues to expand, evolve, and serve a growing community of users, we are pleased to introduce a range of important updates aimed at improving your experience and increasing the platform’s value for your sustainability work. In this update, GRAS Tool+ introduces new datasets for Forest Land, Wetland, and Grassland covering different categories, along with Heathland and Steep Slopes following RED III sustainability criteria (e.g., for ISCC 202-1) for 19 most-requested countries by our users (Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Peru, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam). These enhancements reflect our ongoing commitment to continuously strengthening the platform and ensuring you have access to reliable, high-quality data for your sustainability assessments.

Here’s what’s new:

Forest Land

We are pleased to announce that GRAS Tool+ now includes newly added Forest Land datasets for 19 countries, further enhancing the platform’s ability to support robust sustainability assessments. This update introduces several important forest-related subcategories that provide users with more comprehensive insight into ecologically significant forest and wooded land areas.

The newly added Forest Land subcategories include:

  1. Primary forests, old growth forest and wooded land
  2. Highly biodiverse forest and other wooded land
  3. Continuously forested areas
  4. Forested areas with 10-30% canopy cover

Together, these layers offer more detailed coverage of forest landscapes, including areas characterized by native tree species, high biodiversity value, and varying canopy cover. These additions are part of our ongoing efforts to improve GRAS Tool+ and provide users with high-quality data that better supports sustainability-related analysis and decision-making.

Wetland and Peatland

As part of the latest GRAS Tool+ update, the platform now includes new Wetland and Peatland datasets for 19 countries, further strengthening its value for sustainability assessments and land-use screening.

Wetland-related datasets cover areas that are permanently or seasonally covered with or saturated by water. These include landscapes where water is visible on the surface, as well as areas where soil remains water-saturated for significant periods of the year. Peatland soils data covers soils with significant organic material content and peat substrate characteristics based on the relevant criteria. These provide users with additional insight into ecologically sensitive land areas that are important in sustainability-related assessments.

Grassland

GRAS Tool+ now includes new Grassland datasets for 19 countries, and this update introduces two important grassland subcategories: Natural grassland and Non-natural grassland. Natural grassland includes relatively undisturbed native grasslands and short-height vegetation such as steppes and tundra, as well as semi-natural areas which have partially experienced human influence. Non-natural grassland dataset covers cultivated grasslands and other grass-dominated areas that are intentionally planted or actively managed for human use, such as forage production or directed livestock grazing.

Together, these datasets offer users a clearer understanding of different grassland types and their land-use characteristics, helping to strengthen sustainability screening and assessment. By differentiating between natural and managed grassland systems, GRAS Tool+ supports a more detailed and informed evaluation of ecologically important landscapes.

Heathland

GRAS Tool+ now includes a new Heathland dataset for, expanding coverage of ecologically relevant low-vegetation landscapes dominated by shrubs, dwarf shrubs, and herbaceous plants. This addition supports more comprehensive sustainability assessments and improved land-use screening across a wider range of environmental criteria.

Steep Slopes

GRAS Tool+ now includes a new Steep Slopes dataset for 19 countries, identifying areas with steep (>30–45%) and very steep (>45%) slopes based on Digital Elevation Model data. This addition supports more comprehensive sustainability assessments by helping users identify areas where slope-related risks may be relevant, particularly in relation to soil erosion.