Guatemala initiated its Country-Led Planning (CLP) process with the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) in 2023. Since then, national institutions have worked collaboratively to develop a National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) Roadmap, reflecting a shared vision for strengthening the long-term sustainability of forest monitoring in the country.
The CLP Programme of Support is currently accompanying the implementation of this Roadmap, with a focus on fostering interinstitutional coordination, supporting structured dialogue among key actors, and advancing priority actions identified by national institutions. This ongoing process is helping to develop a more coherent and coordinated approach to forest monitoring, while laying the groundwork for a more structured CLP process.
Guatemala has a well-established but institutionally distributed NFMS and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) framework, developed primarily to support REDD+, national climate reporting, and forest policy implementation. Core components are in place, including a long running National Forest Inventory (NFI), regular forest cover and change mapping, a national greenhouse gas inventory system, and a REDD+ MRV platform hosted within the National Climate Change Information System (SNICC).
Key strengths of Guatemala’s NFMS include strong technical capacity, sustained investment in forest monitoring methodologies, and an extensive legal and policy framework supporting sustainable forest management. Institutions – such as the National Forest Institute (INAB), the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) – contribute complementary expertise in forest inventories, geospatial analysis, climate reporting and land use monitoring, supported by institutional forest monitoring and geospatial platforms developed and maintained by INAB, CONAP and MAGA.
Coordination among these institutions takes place both through formal coordination mechanisms such as the Inter-institutional Forest and Land-Use Monitoring Group (GIMBUT), and within the mandates and operational responsibilities of each institution, reflecting established institutional arrangements and ongoing collaboration practices.
Guatemala is steadily advancing toward the implementation of its National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) Roadmap through a structured, country-led and interinstitutional process rooted in both technical coordination and political commitment.
The process began with a clear national inter...
The government of Guatemala has received its first payment of USD 24.21 million under the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) for verified emissions reduct...
Guatemala City – Guatemala continues to advance the institutionalization of its national forest monitoring system (NFMS) through the Country Led Planning (CLP) process supported by th...
In less than a year, Guatemala’s key institutions linked to forest, environmental and other land-use monitoring have joined forces to shape a sustainable monitoring system. This process, known as Country-Led Planning (CLP), places countries at the center – from planning to managing – to ensure...
22/4
2026
On 22 April 2026, the government of Guatemala is hosting a one-day workshop in Guatemala City, Guatemala, to bring together national institutions that are key to implementing the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) with the goal of strengthening interinstitutional collaboration and advancing the NFMS roadmap. The Ministry of Environment...
