Nepal enhanced data transparency to strengthen sustainable forest management

Nepal has taken a significant step toward forest data transparency and sustainable forest management by making its National Forest Inventory (NFI) metadata and resources available on the Food and Agriculture Microdata (FAM) catalogue. This achievement reflects a fruitful collaboration between Nepal’s Forest Research and Training Centre (FRTC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), demonstrating the country’s commitment to informed decision-making and international environmental cooperation.

The FAM catalogue now hosts detailed information from Nepal’s NFI 2010–2014, including its innovative sampling design, data collection methodologies, and comprehensive assessments of forest cover, biomass, biodiversity, and forest disturbances. This rich repository of data and metadata empowers researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore insights into Nepal’s forest ecosystems, supporting evidence-based policy formulation and forest management strategies.

Nepal’s NFI employed advanced open-sources tools e.g., Open Foris for data processing, ensuring robust data integrity and robustness. The inventory’s results have been instrumental in meeting national and international reporting requirements, including contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) National Communications, Forest Reference Emission Levels, and jurisdictional emission reduction programs. By sharing its NFI data, Nepal underscores its commitment to supporting global efforts like the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key findings from the NFI reveal that forests occupy 40.36% of Nepal’s land area, with an additional 4.38% classified as Other Wooded Land. The inventory identified 443 tree species across diverse eco-regions, offering insights into the country’s remarkable biodiversity. Moreover, the comprehensive carbon stock assessment underscores Nepal’s vital role in climate change mitigation, with an estimated 1,054.97 million tons of carbon stored in its forests.

Nepal’s inclusion of its NFI data in the FAM catalogue serves as a cornerstone for future research, capacity development, and policymaking. It highlights the nation’s dedication to fostering forest conservation and sustainable resource management while contributing to global environmental goals. As Nepal progresses in its forestry initiatives, this collaboration between FAO and the FRTC sets a precedent for transparency and international cooperation, ensuring that Nepal's forest resources are managed sustainably for generations to come.

This data publication initiative is supported by the FAO project "Building Global Capacity to Increase Transparency in the Forest Sector (CBIT-Forest)," funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The aim is to enhance the quality, timeliness, accessibility, and usability of forest-related data, in line with the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) requirements of the Paris Agreement.

Please find the original source of this story at: https://www.fao.org/nepal/detail/News/nepal-enhanced-data-transparency-to-strengthen-sustainable-forest-management/en