Towards accurate, open and transparent forest data

A key pillar of the Paris Agreement is the Enhanced Transparency Framework which aims to raise ambitions for climate action through transparent country reporting. For forests, open and transparent data has enabled forest and climate action under REDD+ through the development of National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS). 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 REDD+ and the Paris Agreement.

A multi-purpose NFMS can provide transparent, reliable, relevant, accessible and sustainable forest data as articulated in FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for National Forest Monitoring. The UN-REDD Programme has supported 45 countries in developing NFMS though capacity development and technology transfer. This has catalysed progress for REDD+ Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) under the UNFCCC, with 50 countries having operationalised their NFMS for the provision of data for submission of Forest Reference Emission Levels / Forest Reference Levels (FREL/FRLs). Both an NFMS and a FREL/FRL are requirements under the Warsaw Framework for REDD+. The fact that 50 forested countries have developed NFMS and are submitting detailed technical reports for external review under the UNFCCC is a major step forward for forest and climate action.

The 50 countries that have completed the MRV elements of the Warsaw Framework represent 75% of global deforestation, according to FAO’s 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment. For many countries, this is the first time detailed forest data has been reported internationally, and it represents a major step forward toward transparent forest data, while also laying the groundwork for the transition to the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement. As of mid-2020, 12 countries have reported emission reductions or enhancements to the UNFCCC through their REDD+ technical Annex, representing 8.87 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is an important contribution to climate change mitigation and is enabling the flow of results-based finance from the Green Climate Fund, which, in turn, is triggering accelerated forest and climate action. However, there is much left to do to improve the accuracy and transparency of forest data to further raise actions and ambitions for forests and climate.