The Network of National Forest Inventories of Latin America and the Caribbean seeks to implement innovative techniques for community inclusion

August 29, 2024 –The Network of National Forest Inventories of Latin America and the Caribbean, chaired by Mexico through the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), together with the technical secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), organized a virtual exchange to present the experiences of Mexico, Panama, and Guatemala in the involvement of local communities in the collection of field data for National Forest Inventories (NFIs).

The event, entitled New Approaches to data collection for forest inventories in Latin America and the Caribbean, was supported by the CBIT-Forest project, which seeks to increase the transparency of forest data, and the United Nations Program on Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD).

National Forest Inventories (NFIs) are continuous field data collection processes that, integrated with remote sensing observations, provide quality, science-based information to support decision-making related to forest resource management in countries.

Forest ecosystems provide multiple environmental services to humanity and are managed by national entities under a set of national and international policies and laws. When implemented with a solid institutional framework and the participation of local communities, these policies constitute the most successful experiences in the sustainable management of forests and their resources. At the community level, a value beyond the economic is achieved, as it combines with the cultural and ancestral value of the land.

In his welcome message, Luis Meneses Murillo, General Director of Mexico's National Forestry Commission, emphasized that the Mexican government has undertaken an ambitious initiative to transform the way in which the National Forest and Soil Inventory is carried out, adopting an innovative approach that puts local communities at the center, recognizing their deep knowledge of forests and their crucial role in their conservation.

Similarly, in his welcome message, Silvio Simonit, FAO Mexico's Deputy Programme Representative, emphasized the importance of information on the state of forests for countries through the Global Forest Assessment (FRA). He also stressed that FAO provides support to reduce deforestation and forest degradation by assisting countries in improving forest information through National Forest Inventories.

Carla Ramirez Zea, FAO’s advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean on forest monitoring, highlighted that, despite the vast experience of countries in the region in implementing NFI field measurements, there are still challenges to successful implementation. One crucial challenge is maintaining a constant political will to update forest information, which translates into continuous financial constraints to measure forests. Other barriers are related to territory accessibility due to social conflicts, insecurity, or distrust of landowners and local communities about measurements of their land. All of which underline the importance of local communities' participation in the NFIs.

In addition, David Sabogal, coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities component of FAO's Accelerating Innovative Monitoring of Forests Program (AIM4Forests), presented the overall objectives and initial efforts of the program to strengthen the technical capacities of local actors in forest mapping and monitoring, in order to encourage their participation and protagonism in management, financing and policy actions on their territories and forest resources.

During the exchange, José Armando Alanís de la Rosa, Manager of the National Forest Monitoring System of the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) of Mexico, presented the progress made in the implementation of a community forest monitoring approach for the collection of field data from the National Forest and Soil Inventory.

Victor Corro, Coordinator of the National Forest and Carbon Inventory of Panama mentioned that bringing indigenous groups to participate in the Pilot Plan of the National Forest and Carbon Inventory was a success. Together with FAO, they approached the Ngobe Bugle indigenous group located in the eastern part of the country. During the request for permission from the indigenous authorities (Sahilas) to enter the territory, it was agreed that young professionals in agricultural sciences should be trained and hired to carry out the field surveys. The work carried out was of good quality, and the data was used to report the first phase of the inventory.

In addition, Dulce Mejía, coordinator of the National Forest Inventory of Guatemala for the National Forest Institute (INAB), described the experience of the second NFI, with social, accessibility, and budget difficulties in collecting data in the sampling units, mainly in the northern region of the country. The support of the AIM4Forests Program was requested for the development of a strategy to integrate local communities and indigenous peoples in national forest monitoring, presented by Eliseo Gálvez, from FAO Guatemala. The strategy will support INAB, the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP), and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).

This exchange of experiences allowed those responsible for implementing NFIs to become more aware of how to promote the participation of local communities and organizations in NFI implementation. This inclusion represents an opportunity that benefits both national governments and local communities in forest management and conservation.

The inclusion of local communities in decisions about the management of their forests and their role in monitoring them is a right that has been continuously recognized in international negotiations on forests and climate change and in the framework of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), to ensure a more resilient and equitable future for generations to come.

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