Open, transparent and accessible: CBIT-Forest webinars in 2020
In 2020, the CBIT-Forest team has organized a series of webinars to promote the importance of transparent and robust forest data:
- 15 July – Webinar “Open and transparent: forest data setting the course for a green future under the Paris Agreement”
To combat climate change and its impacts, the Paris Agreement was signed by 195 countries representing their commitment to limit the rise of the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius. In order to build confidence in the process, the Paris Agreement includes a key element referred to as the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) for action and support.
CBIT-Forest project aims to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of developing countries to meet the enhanced transparency requirements of the Paris Agreement, responding to Article 13 and contributing to tackling climate change.
FAO webinar “Open and Transparent: Forest data setting the course for green future under the Paris Agreement” highlighted the importance of the ETF under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement and discussed how the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) can support its implementation.
At this webinar, FAO presented the CBIT-Forest global project and launch three brand new E- learning modules of the e-learning course “Forests and transparency under the Paris Agreement”
- 21 July – Webinar “Forest data and transparency: ‘Zoom’ in on Costa Rica’s experience”
Costa Rica has made many efforts to monitor and conserve its forests. Since 2015, the Government has been developing a national system for monitoring land cover, land use and ecosystems (SIMOCUTE: Sistema Nacional de Monitoreo de la Cobertura y Uso de la Tierra y Ecosistemas) that facilitates the collection, integration, management, and dissemination of national-scale environmental data and information.
SIMOCUTE has been developed through a participatory and interinstitutional process led by the National Center for Geo-environmental Information (CENIGA: Centro Nacional de Información Geoambiental), which involved 40 institutions from government, academia and the private sector.
Furthermore, ten international organizations provide technical and/or financial support to SIMOCUTE, including partners of the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), in particular the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the SilvaCarbon programme of the United States.
The event “zoomed” in on Costa Rica’s national system for monitoring land cover, land use and ecosystems SIMOCUTE, which has been highlighted in a recent FAO case study publication. The webinar will feature presentations on the case study and SIMOCUTE, followed by a discussion and will conclude with the key messages of this work.
- 23 September - Webinar "Forest Data and Transparency: ‘Zoom in’ on the Experience of the Democratic Republic of the Congo"
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as in many other African countries, the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is a major national strategic priority. Previously, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had limited technical capacity to produce and utilize data necessary for monitoring forest cover and changes. Since then, the country has established a national forest monitoring system (NFMS) to promote sustainable forest management practices and to take informed policy decisions on reducing forest loss. FAO webinar “Forest Data and Transparency: ‘Zoom in’ on the Experience of the Democratic Republic of the Congo” highlighted the country’s experience in establishing NFMS, and explored the various ways it has been upscaled and widely used, as a basis for satellite land monitoring systems, in other countries in the region and globally.
- 11 November - Webinar “Open and Transparent Forest Data: Innovation and Technology for Climate Action”
A key pillar of the Paris Agreement is the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), which aims to raise ambitions for climate action through transparent country reporting. The development of National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS) with open and transparent data can enable action for forest and climate. In light of the climate emergency, it is time to scale up efforts toward accurate, open and transparent forest data, to catalyse higher ambitions under the Paris Agreement.
FAO webinar “Open and Transparent Forest data: Innovation and Technology for Climate Action” highlighted global and national efforts’ on forest monitoring that support the implementation of the transparency framework under the Paris Agreement.
Objectives:
- Present the “Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector" (CBIT-Forest)” project and its contribution to the transparency framework under the Paris Agreement;
- Present latest digital data sources and related dissemination innovations contributing to the Paris Agreement by promoting transparency and open data.
- Share experience from Bangladesh on data management and transparency.