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 sustainability and national ownership.

Launched in 2023 by the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) with the support of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland through the Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests (AIM4Forests) programme at FAO, the CLP initiative aims to strengthen domestic leadership in planning and implementing sustainable national forest monitoring systems (NFMSs).

As stated by María Floridalma Miguel Ros, Head of Forest Research at the National Forest Institute, “An institutionalized national forest monitoring system is essential to ensuring that sustainable forest management is a cornerstone of national development. If we succeed in institutionalizing this process, we will ensure that forest monitoring in Guatemala does not depend on individual will but on a state commitment.”

Building resilient forest governance

Country-led planning is an initiative to ensure that the NFMS evolves into governance structures that can withstand political transitions through the institutionalization of priority forest monitoring actions for the country. The CLP is more than just a planning exercise – it reflects the country’s leadership and its dedication to sustainable development for future generations.

Unlike past institutional coordination efforts, the CLP process consolidates and goes beyond technical improvements by focusing on the alignment of forest monitoring with government planning and resource allocation mechanisms. By embedding the NFMS within national institutions, the country is better able to utilize the information produced by the system to address strategic priorities, such as improving forest management, protecting nature and monitoring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In essence, the CLP helps countries to elevate their NFMS to produce robust forest data and create meaningful impact.

“Embedding the national forest monitoring system into national institutions and therefore national policy processes, drives greater impact by turning data into actionable decisions,” said Tom Harvey, Manager of the GFOI Office at FAO. “Country Led-Planning has helped to consolidate the capacity built with international partners over the past 15 years, empowering countries to take ownership and create lasting change in forest governance.”

From coordination to action: Strengthening institutional collaboration

Guatemala’s four key monitoring institutions – the National Forest Institute (INAB), the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP), the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) – have fortified their collaboration and alignment through the CLP process.

The unique process in Guatemala has included a series of inter-institutional workshops to build consensus and a commitment to joint planning at the leadership level of key institutions. The CLP Programme of Support has provided Guatemala with expert-facilitated sessions on legal issues and strategic planning. As a result, a country owned roadmap to long-term sustainability was developed based on the shared vision for the NFMS.

A key breakthrough in this process has been the renewal of the Inter-Institutional Group for Forest and Land Use Monitoring (GIMBUT) Agreement, a technical coordination group established in 2010. Through the CLP initiative, discussions emerged on updating its working framework for the next four years to ensure that it reinforces its mandate and evolves into a more sustainable governance structure to withstand political transitions.

"This process, supported by GFOI, has allowed the country to continue discussing the importance of keeping dialogue spaces active and renewing interinstitutional cooperation agreements and partnerships, such as the GIMBUT,” said Kenset Rosales Riveiro, Head of the Geographic Information Systems Department, MARN.

A strategic investment in long-term forest monitoring

Guatemala took a decisive step in 2024 to establish a sustainable future for its NFMS through the CLP process. In recognition that forests cover one-third of the country and play a vital role in sustainable development, Guatemala embraced the CLP approach for a cohesive and resilient system.

Guatemala has proven its commitment, technical expertise and capacity to deliver results and maintain long-term partnerships. Monitoring results have been instrumental in guiding forestry incentives and programmes (e.g. PINPEP and PROBOSQUE), as well as protected area management.Additionally, within the framework of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Emission Reduction Program (PRE), these results have been crucial for monitoring outcomes and accessing results-based payments for REDD+. The country’s experience in forest fire monitoring is well-recognized in Central America, solidifying it as a reference for other countries seeking to strengthen their systems.

Guatemala’s leadership in the CLP is attracting interest from other countries seeking to enhance their own monitoring systems. By exhibiting strategic planning, institutional collaboration and national ownership, Guatemala is setting the standard for the region.

“This process has reaffirmed that the forestry sector is one of the country’s pillars; its sustainable management should not fall on a single entity but should be a cross-cutting element of national development,” said María Floridalma Miguel Ros. “I deeply admire the team leading this process, overcoming great challenges and achieving remarkable results.”

Looking forward

Guatemala has made significant progress in strengthening its national forest monitoring system, but sustaining these achievements requires long-term commitments and structural reforms. The goal now is to ensure that these efforts become permanent state policies, independent of leadership changes.

The key priorities for the future are to strengthen legal and financial structures sustainability, enhance inter-institutional governance and coordination; and expand the impact and visibility of Guatemala’s NFMS. With a clear vision, roadmap and growing institutional commitment, Guatemala is well-positioned to consolidate its monitoring system for the long term.

Now is the time to take action: by engaging with Guatemala through their CLP process, international partners can play a pivotal role in ensuring that the country’s progress in institutionalizing and strengthening its forest monitoring system translates into a sustainable, government-led process and a permanent national commitment.