Follow the conversation with Anssi Pekkarinen and Julian Fox from U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Veronique De Sy from Wageningen University and Research as they discuss a recent global study that shows promising development in forest monitoring capacity across the globe. Some 85 percent of global forests are now monitored with adequate remote sensing or field inventory system, according to the study. The study, conducted by analyzing data from 236 countries, found that the number of countries using remote sensing and national forest inventories to monitor their forest are increasing from 55 countries in 2005 to 99 countries in 2020. The progress has been driven by increasing interest...

Nestled in the heart of the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest rainforest, lies the Republic of the Congo. A nation covered in vast forests, the Congo boasts an estimated 23 million ha of forest area — nearly 70% of the country’s total land area. However, climate change and land-use changes pose serious threats to the Congo’s lush forests. The Republic of the Congo is particularly vulnerable to climate change and lacks a robust adaptive capacity. Highly dependent on farmland, agriculture employs 70% of the country’s workforce. The low production capacity of subsistence agriculture and changes in climate leave local communities and indigenous populations...

Forests play a pivotal role in combating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere. Forest monitoring is critical to ensuring that countries stay on target with emission reduction goals within the framework of the Paris Agreement. Robust and easy-to-access forest data can support the formulation, monitoring and adjustment of forest-related policies, inform citizens and stakeholders, help track progress towards sustainable forest management and reduce emissions related to forest loss. As for other forested countries eager to generate reliable forest data, forest monitoring activities are an important step on Thailand’s journey to combat deforestation and climate change. Under the...

The adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 sparked the design and implementation of climate-centered projects at global, national, and even local scales. Among these projects is ‘Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector (CBIT-Forest)’ a two-year project implemented by FAO. Funded by the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency, CBIT-Forest intends to develop the institutional and technical capacities of developing countries, enabling them to meet transparency requirements outlined in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. Global in scope, the project directly impacts 26 countries and influences an additional 187 countries and territories. In its first year, CBIT-Forest hosted around 60 virtual workshops,...

Projet PREFOREST de 46,5 millions de dollars pour lutter contre la déforestation et réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre  Brazzaville -Le Fonds vert pour le climat (FVC) a approuvé un projet de $US 46,5 millions pour soutenir la réduction des émissions de carbone et générer des co-avantages d’adaptation pour les petits exploitants agricoles dans les points chauds de déforestation de la République du Congo. Durant une période de 20ans, le projet PREFOREST devrait atténuer 16,7 millions de tonnes d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre et établir l’équivalent d’environ 14 500 terrains de football de systèmes agroforesterie. Le projet...