6 September 2023, Quito – The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provides essential information for understanding the extent of forests and their condition, management and uses. The ongoing assessment, FRA 2025, examines the status and trends of over 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories over the period 1990–2025.
In Quito, Ecuador, FAO's Forestry Division held the second regional workshop for the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 in Latin America. More than 17 countries gathered in the Ecuadorian capital to advance in the preparation of the report on the state of forests in the region. FRA is a global assessment that FAO has been publishing since 1946 and allows countries to make better decisions with the obtained data.
One of the objectives of these workshops is for countries to standardize forestry data to FAO terminology, considering that interpretation may vary between countries. The homologation process is generated through the FAO forestry data platform, an innovative tool that has been available to countries for 5 years. This digital tool provides a simpler methodology and warning systems for possible errors in data entry, as well as a series of technical standards.
As stated by FAO Forestry Officer Xavier De Lamo:
This type of workshop is essential to strengthen collaboration with forest departments and national agencies in Latin American countries and to work together in assessing the state of the region's forests. They also serve as a forum for dialogue, allowing participants to discuss the technical advances and challenges they face.
FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment provides essential information for understanding the extent of forests and their different typologies, condition, management and uses. FAO and countries are currently in the reporting period of the FRA 2025 cycle. Countries made progress on national reports that will serve as inputs to the global report, which also serves as input to climate change prediction models.
The report will provide an analysis of how forests are changing and where countries should direct their policies. It will also be a guide for monitoring international commitments related to forests and forestry. This assessment, which is expected to be presented in 2025, is generated by FAO with information provided by member countries.
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Paula Lanata Cedeño
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Institutional Relations and Strategic Communication