Background
Countries have an ever-growing need to access credible information on the extent of their forests and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As forest landscapes contribute significantly to the global GHG cycle, collecting improved information on emissions and removals from this sector is vital to help countries tackle climate change.
Through collaborative action, GFOI partners support tropical countries with creating forest monitoring systems that inform their national decisions and international commitments, such as:
- reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+);
- monitoring progress towards meeting their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
- informing national GHG inventories and domestic policies and actions;
- reporting to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA); and
- tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The GFOI is a flagship programme of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO).
- ©FAO/Vasily Maksimov
- ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano
Supporting implementation of the Paris Agreement
The collection of improved information on forests is vital for helping countries to tackle climate change.
