On Earth Day 2025, FAO brought together global partners, national experts, youth leaders and Indigenous representatives to mark two milestones: the second anniversary of the AIM4Forests programme and the launch of the new AIM4NatuRe initiative. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today on Earth Day launched Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Nature Restoration (AIM4NatuRe), a new initiative with GBP 7 million from the United Kingdom to improve monitoring and reporting of global ecosystem restoration efforts.

Experts, policymakers, and practitioners from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Bangkok for a technical workshop aimed at enhancing capacities in forest monitoring and risk assessment. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the event convened 2...

Bangkok - Forests across Asia and the Pacific region cover 740 million hectares, accounting for 18 percent of global forest cover. These forests are not only critical for the livelihoods of more than 450 million people, but also play a critical economic role, with annual trade in primary forest p...

The National Forest Inventory (NFI) online facilitated course plays a key role in strengthening forest data transparency by equipping professionals with essential skills in forest monitoring, reporting, and data management. This course aligns with FAO’s Food and Agriculture Microdata (FAM) Catalogue, a global initiative aimed at enhancing access to reliable forest-related data to support climate action, sustainable forest management, and policy development.  

Zambia’s forests are essential for livelihoods, biodiversity, water resources and climate. They provide food, fuel and materials for local communities, support diverse ecosystems, and help regulate water cycles and address climate change. To promote their sustainable management, FAO with the support of the AIM4Forests and the UN-REDD programmes, is working with the Forestry Department of Zambia to enhance forest data collection and decision-making in North-Western Province—the country’s most forested region and home to the headwaters of the Zambezi River. Key activities include a forest inventory in Manyinga District, conducted in 2024, and the development of a forest management plan in 2025 to guide long-term sustainable use.

Ghana has established itself as a leader in the climate and forest agenda, implementing innovative programs such as the Ghana Cocoa Forest Programme and the

The Young Forest Champions Initiative, launched under FAO’s AIM4Forests programme, has generated a remarkable response from youth worldwide, receiving 1,521 applications in just two weeks from late January to mid-February 2025. Originally designed to empower young people in forest monitoring, conservation and restoration across five focus countries—Ghana, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, and Zambia— the initiative has attracted global attention, highlighting the growing international interest among young people in forest monitoring, conservation, and restoration. 

Tropical forests play a crucial role in tackling climate change, providing critical ecosystem services that support global resilience, food security, and sustainable livelihoods. To meet international commitments like the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), countries need robust forest data, effective monitoring systems, responsive forest-related policies, and stakeholder collaboration.  

The Open Foris Arena platform, a free and open-source solution, has reached a new milestone with the launch of Arena 2.0. This latest version introduces significant enhancements, making it easier to capture, store, manage, and process survey data in a secure, web-based platform—representing a major step forward in how we monitor and manage forest survey data worldwide.

One way of combating deforestation effectively is to define priority zones seen as being at particular risk. The difficult part is identifying those zones. Tropical countries have recently been given access to a new free, open-access plugin that serves to map the risks on a national or local level. The tool, called Deforisk, has already been tested in South America.

More than 150 experts from across the globe convened in Rome, Italy, from 25 to 28 November 2024 to enhance collaboration on forest monitoring efforts. The south-south knowledge exchange  emphasized collaboration on country-led planning; forest monitoring and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) procedures; and forest monitoring for transparent commodity value chains. 

In response to the pressing need for durable forest-based climate solutions, FAO has released a new publication titled "Options for addressing the risk of non-permanence for land-based mitigation in carbon crediting programmes." This paper provides a comprehensive framework for addressing the challenge of “non-permanence”—the risk that emission reductions from forests may be reversed due to events such as deforestation, fires, or pest outbreaks.

On October 31 and November 1, 2024, the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB), with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), held a workshop focused on the review of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) of Brazil.

Achieving the biodiversity goals of the Kunming-Montreal Agreement relies on the full and effective participation of people whose lives are deeply intertwined and dependent on nature. Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendent Peoples, Pastoralists and countless other traditional rural communities collectively own, hold and manage over half of the world’s lands, including critical natural forest ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots.  

Rural youth are the next generation of forest and farm producers, and they are at the heart of a food-secure future. As participants heard at the World Food Forum at FAO Headquarters in Rome today, they have much to offer and are essential in global sustainable production efforts, with their decisions directly impacting agricultural and forest landscapes and ecosystems. 

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 presen...

The AIM4Forests programme, a collaborative effort between the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been awarded an outstanding A+ rating in its first year of implementation. In its first year, the programme e...