Background
To support countries in transparently monitoring and reporting to Target 2 of the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, FAO launched the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM) platform and is compiling data on areas under restoration to reduce reporting burden for countries.
What is the default data for area under restoration?
The default data for area under restoration is data compiled from different sources that shows the amount of restoration across all ecosystems in each country. The default data is designed to support national reporting and provides more information and context on restoration progress beyond area-based estimates, including the restoration objectives, activities, tenure status, project specific indicators and other parameters.
How is the data collected?
The default data for area under restoration utilizes an interoperability framework to integrate restoration data from various available data sources.
Data sources that are currently included in the default data include:
- the FERM registry,
- Global Forest Resources Assessment,
- Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
- National monitoring systems and databases*,
Additional data sources that are being integrated include:
- the World Database on Protected Areas,
- UNCCD PRAIS,
- IUCN Restoration Barometer,
- and other platforms.
The default data contains area-based estimates aggregated from restoration initiatives and projects, as well as direct country reported tabular data from official reporting processes. The default data is aligned to Target 2 indicator metadata and shows data available for disaggregating the area-based indicator as recommended in CBD COP Decision 16/31. The recommended disaggregation includes, by ecosystem, protected areas and OECMs, Indigenous and traditional territories, and types of restoration activities.
How to access and use the default data
Data Review functionality has been developed to visualize and review the default data on areas under restoration. The functionality will soon become available exclusively to CBD national focal points in the FERM. The FERM Data Review functionality provides a map view of restoration project areas (as polygons or points) with attributes to reduce duplication where possible.
In the data review, national focal points are encouraged to perform a quality assessment and quality control review and decide how to aggregate different data sources before potentially integrating the default data into national reporting. FAO is working with CBD to link the FERM to CBD’s Online Reporting Tool (ORT) so that reviewed data can be directly prepopulated to the ORT.
* Currently available for selected countries. FAO is work with more pilot countries to link their national monitoring systems and databases to FERM.
The FERM interoperability and default data works across platforms and frameworks to align the parameters that are used to monitor and report areas under restoration. Data from platforms and frameworks are aggregated into a default dataset, shared through the FERM, where national focal points can review and optionally use the information to complement national monitoring systems and national data collection (arrow a2). National monitoring systems can also be linked to FERM to share data directly (arrow a1), ensuring the alignment to Target 2 reporting. The default data will be communicated directly to the CBD Online Reporting Tool (ORT) (arrow c2), where national focal points report on the implementation of KM-GBF and all the indicators, including Target 2 indicators. In the ORT, national focal points can validate the prepopulated default data as estimated data or directly report new values using information from national monitoring systems (arrow b). The country directly reported values will be pushed back to FERM to update the default data (arrow c1).