The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) completed another round of its annual Information Exchange and is pleased to report record participation and engagement from across the GFOI community. These exchanges are an opportunity for partners to provide an update on recent progress, hot topics and common challenges that countries encountered in the development and sustainment of their national forest monitoring systems (NFMSs) and associated emissions measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) procedures in three major forest regions.

The webinars for the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) regions served as updates on forest monitoring and greenhouse gas estimations during 2023. The esteemed panellists included experts and representatives from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), SERVIR, SilvaCarbon and the World Bank, as well as the governments of Colombia, Germany and the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Please read further for brief summaries on these valued exchanges.

Asia-Pacific

Through the varied lush landscapes of the Asia-Pacific region, efforts are underway to understand forest health, track their role in climate change and ultimately ensure sustainable management with technological innovation. A multitude of activities surround forest monitoring, with diverse initiatives tackling the challenge from multiple angles.

National forest inventories (NFIs) are being developed and refined, providing crucial data on forest composition, growth and carbon storage. Remote sensing plays a crucial role, as land use changes, peatland restoration and even deforestation are tracked in real-time. Strengthening transparency is another focus, with countries improving their reporting on forest-related emissions and removals. Initiatives like FAO's AIM4Forests and “Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector (CBIT-Forest)” projects, as well as the Forest Data Partnership, promise further advancements in data quality, accessibility and collaboration.

The pacific region benefits from GIZ with mangrove and sea grass mapping undertaken by the project "Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems" (MACBLUE) as well as peatland inventory for restoration and monitoring in Indonesia by the project "Peatland Rehabilitation and Management" (PROPEAT). The region is also receiving assistance for national land monitoring systems and REDD+. SilvaCarbon is supporting Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Nepal and Vietnam to improve the NFIs and prepare data for different carbon finance initiatives using advanced forest monitoring methods. Lao PDR boasts a provincial deforestation monitoring system (PDMS) supported by JICA’s F-REDD 2 project and, with support from Silvacarbon, is working on generating country-specific emission factors from burned biomass. The World Bank is contributing with its emission reduction portfolio, of which provides significant support to the South Asia and East Asia Pacific region with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and Biocarbon Fund.

Collaboration underlines these efforts, with various organizations and governments working together to ensure the health and sustainability of the vital ecosystems in the region. These comprehensive approaches signify a positive shift in forest monitoring for the Asia-Pacific region, paving the way for a future where these vital ecosystems are not only protected but thrive.

Africa

Across Africa, various initiatives are converging to improve forest monitoring, offering a comprehensive approach to managing these vital resources. The core of these efforts are NFIs, remote sensing technology and transparency. Initiatives including FAO's AIM4Forests initiative and CBIT-Forest project, the Central African Forestry Initiative and Silvacarbon's Central Africa Women’s Initiative for Climate Action provide technical assistance, data analysis and gender mainstreaming further refining monitoring capabilities and inclusivity.

Central African countries benefit from strengthened cocoa mapping and focused emission reduction efforts, both fueled by comprehensive NFI data. In West Africa, valuable insights are delivered into its cocoa sector alongside crucial MRV support, emission reduction payments are provided, and NFIs are established across the region. In addition, the SERVIR Applied Sciences Team harnesses technology to estimate, monitor and map land change and forest degradation. East and South Africa echo the progress, NFIs and MRV systems are revitalized, forest data management and restoration initiatives are improved, forest mitigation strategies are ensured to remain on track with MRV support.

The FCPF underscores the need for robust monitoring systems to effectively verify emissions reductions. While SERVIR plays a vital role in empowering communities and building technical capacity, scaling its interventions presents a hurdle. Additionally, data storage and integration remain challenges that will require further development to be able to leverage the full value of the NICFI Satellite Data Programme.

A spirit of collaboration permeates the forest monitoring landscape in Africa. Harnessing diverse tools, forging strong partnerships and diligently addressing existing challenges. The core efforts included meticulously collected data on forest composition and health and remote sensing technology for real-time updates on land-use changes and deforestation hotspots. 

Latin America and the Caribbean

Partner organizations, governments and initiatives are diligently developing solutions for forest monitoring across LAC, from bolstering emissions estimates across UN-REDD countries to harmonizing data through NFI networks. Through initiatives like FAO's Aim4Forests and CBIT-Forest, nations are empowered with tools and knowledge for robust MRV systems.

Colombia serves as a shining example, utilizing trained data, clear definitions and digital processing in its comprehensive NFMS. Mitigation strategies like frequent remote sensing and land use integration pave the way for a brighter future.

Looking beyond borders, SERVIR's collaboration with SilvaCarbon and its own projects in the Amazon and Central America underscore the spirit of regional cooperation. SilvaCarbon offers expertise in areas like mangrove inclusion and warning systems, while SERVIR fosters collaboration and capacity building through workshops and data-driven projects. Initiatives like the SERVIR Carbon Pilot (S-CAP) further extend this collaborative reach, sharing knowledge and building capacity beyond the LAC region.

The collaborative efforts of the three major forest regions (Asia-Pacific, Africa and LAC) showcase a positive update of progress in forest monitoring globally. As elaborated upon by the panellists, the above efforts evidence the multifaceted approaches implementing organizations and governments have had across these three key regions for tropical forests. Collaboration and transparency were essential to overcome challenges and ensure the sustainable management of these precious ecosystems for a healthier planet for all.

Learn more

To watch the recordings of these sessions, please view the GFOI’s video resources. For further information on the GFOI and the activities of its partners, kindly inspect the links below.

• Inventory of Activities: www.fao.org/gfoi/activities/en/
• Mailing list: Write “SUBscribe [email protected] FirstName LastName” to [email protected]. Please replace “FirstName LastName” with your first and last name.
• Contact: [email protected]