Colombia strengthens transparency and open knowledge of its forests with FAO support

The Government of Colombia, through the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM, in Spanish), has published the data from the first cycle of Colombia’s National Forest Inventory in FAO's Food and Agriculture Microdata (FAM) Catalogue. This initiative is supported by the project “Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector (CBIT-Forest).”

The publication provides a detailed description of Colombia’s national forest inventory (NFI), its sampling design, field data collection methodology, study scope and territorial coverage, as well as the forest variables and indicators measured. It also includes information on sampling units and their biophysical characteristics, forest structure and composition, land-use categories, and key variables related to trees and regeneration, such as forest diversity, volume, above- and below-ground biomass, and soil organic carbon. In addition, national confidentiality standards and information quality protocols are guaranteed and maintained.

The catalogue collection also includes the metadata along with methodological and operational documentation related to its implementation.

Colombia holds the vice-presidency of the Network of National Forest Inventories of Latin America and the Caribbean (Red IFN-LAC, in Spanish), a group of 24 Latin American countries that, through regular meetings, works toward harmonizing their national forest inventories, sharing knowledge and strengthening regional capacities.

Through these actions, Colombia takes a major step in opening and harmonizing its forest information, strengthening transparency and data exchange for evidence-based decision-making, and making key information about one of the planet’s most diverse ecosystems globally available.

For the original source of this story (in Spanish), please see https://www.fao.org/colombia/noticias/detail-events/es/c/1754639/