A new programme for Accelerating Innovative Monitoring of Forests (AIM4Forests), led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has supported 11 countries and trained over one thousand people in its first year. The five-year programme (2023-2028), with GBP 24.5 mil...

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.

The recent webinar on "Options for Addressing the Non-Permanence of Forest-Based Mitigation" presented first results, taking place on November 21st, 2023. The event brought together key experts and stakeholders for a discussion about methodological issues and their potential implications for governments of forest countries hosting mitigation activities. More than 100 participants attended the session, where speakers provided valuable insights into ongoing initiatives and strategies to address this pressing issue.

On November 15, 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized an interactive webinar to launch FAO's Forest Monitoring for Climate Action series of courses, emphasizing the pivotal role of innovative learning methods, and reliable and transparent forest data in combatting deforestation and contributing to climate action.

Capacity development activities in forest monitoring, including face-to-face workshops and online courses, can serve as important tools for increasing awareness on gender. However, women and other underrepresented groups, including youth, Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities, face significant barriers to accessing opportunities to participate in training and other capacity development initiatives, particularly in the forest sector. These barriers commonly include household burdens such as childcare, as well as social norms that undervalue the role of women in forestry.

Last month, FAO was active at the International Astronautical Federation's (IAF) Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC). GLOC 2023, a noteworthy event at the intersection of climate action and space sectors, took place in Oslo from 23-25 May, welcoming over 600 physical participants and thousands of online attendees.

The GFOI 2023 Plenary, organized by the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), took place from 9–11 May 2023 at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome. The overarching theme of the event was the role of forest information in addressing climate change.

The IMPRESS Knowledge Exchange took place in Rome, Italy on May 8th and aimed to share experiences in development of high-integrity measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) for forest emissions and removals. The IMPRESS project, through the UK-PACT in Kenya, has piloted a globally relevant approach to Improve Measurement for Payments to Reduce Emissions and Strengthen Sinks (IMPRESS). 

UK provides £24.5 millions of International Climate Finance to accelerate innovative monitoring of forestsTo celebrate Earth Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Kingdom today launched AIM4Forests, a five-year programme designed to accelerate country capabilities in forest monitoring as a part of global efforts to stop deforestation and forest degradation, and restore forests.