FAO today launched two new solutions for countries to monitor and report progress towards the conservation and sustainable management of mountain ecosystems. The user-friendly solutions are designed to help countries analyse Earth Observation data for their territories and extract information on changes in the extent of mountain ecosystems. This information is needed to assess global progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, Life on Land. The first solution, based on FAO’s platform SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring),

Forests provide essential services to humanity and the planet, including climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and supporting livelihoods for millions of people, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities. However, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate, threatening these critical services. To reverse this trend and support informed decision-making, many countries are creating or improving their national forest inventories (NFIs) as they represent a powerful tool that offers reliable, comprehensive data on the status of forest ecosystems.  

Forests are crucial for absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, but accurately measuring this has been a challenge, especially for countries with limited resources for large-scale forest monitoring. AIM4Forests, a programme launched by FAO and funded by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, seeks to address this issue by leveraging modern technologies like space data, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence (AI).

The National Forest Inventory (NFI) online facilitated course officially begins today following an overwhelming international interest. A total of 2 520 participants from 141 countries have registered, signaling strong international interest to enhance skills in forest data collection, analysis and reporting.

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).

On July 26, 2024, the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) and World Forestry Week (WFW) hosted a key side event  "Accelerating Innovation for Forest Data Transparency." The event spotlighted the essential role of transparent and accurate forest data in addressing deforestation and fostering sustainable forest management. 

Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO’s) groundbreaking open-source technical solutions Open Foris and SEPAL have jointly won a prestigious Google Geo for Good Impact Award. 

Rome, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today signed a new partnership agreement aimed at streamlining ecosystem restoration reporting as part of Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Fram...

From May 20-22, 2024, Tokyo hosted an important event on the climate action calendar—the Global Transparency Forum and the subsequent Support Providers' Meeting. These gatherings are contributing to international efforts to enhance forest data transparency under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement. As we move towards the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) in November 2024, the implications of these discussions resonate even more strongly.

The European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) represents a step to reduce deforestation by mandating that companies and producers demonstrate that their products have not contributed to deforestation. However, the effectiveness of such regulatory frameworks relies on the accuracy and reliability of the data used to demonstrate compliance. Herein lies the importance of Open Foris Ground, a collaborative solution developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Google, aimed at enhancing data collection and validation processes.

On March 21st, the International Day of Forests celebrated the pivotal role of innovation in transforming forest monitoring. A key aspect of FAO and partner countries’ innovative work is the utilization of Planet's high-resolution satellite imagery through the NICFI Satellite Data Program. This initiative is driving impactful change across diverse landscapes.

Yesterday, the world celebrated The International Day of Forests, a moment to mark the importance of natural, biodiverse forests for climate mitigation and adaptation, for the millions of people who directly depend on forests for their livelihoods and basic needs, and for the multitude of species that inhabit these ecosystems.

On the occasion of the FAO International Forests Day event, Tom Crowther, Restor’s Founder alongside the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced the collaborative partnership to spotlight restoration efforts in each country that contribute to Target 2 of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

With just one click, Rabbie is able to verify whether a deforested patch of land is the result of commercial logging or agriculture, quantify the amount of tree cover loss, and identify which of the 12 vegetation types and plantations it falls under. All from the comfort of his office chair.

While it sounds like magic, it’s science. Over the past decade, cutting-edge technology and innovation have transformed countries’ abilities to monitor, report and manage their forests - resulting in better forest protection, restoration and sustainable land use.

Ghana recently submitted forest-related emission reductions to ART-TREES, making it the first African country to do so, and the third worldwide. The achievement stems from consistent efforts to improve the quality of its forest data and Measurement, reporting and Verification (MRV) to meet ART-TREES requirements, unlocking valuable climate finance.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched a new phase of work – supported with $2 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – to assist developing...

The collaborative initiative "Global Transformation of Forests for People and Climate: Focus on West Africa" seeks to enhance the accuracy of forest-based estimations to facilitate reporting and decision-making processes in...

Carbon storage in forests is at risk from reversals, with stored carbon in forests being released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). This poses a risk to forest-based...

Collect Earth Online (CEO) and SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring) are part of cutting-edge suite of platforms to interpret satellite data, generate land cover...

The preservation and monitoring of forests in Central Africa has long been a subject of significant interest for foresters, environmental conservationists and scientists. The region, encompassing the Democratic Republic of...